Any murderer would surely need to show sincere remorse before they could ever be released from prison. 

But for ‘callous’ police killer Harry Roberts, a sentence of ‘life imprisonment’ still meant he could enjoy more than a decade of freedom after serving 48 years behind bars. 

The notorious British career criminal, who died on Saturday aged 89, was released 11 years ago after the fatal shootings of three unarmed policemen in Shepherd’s Bush in August 1966 – murders which he coldly described as ‘electric’ in 2014. 

Roberts was one of a gang who murdered Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Constable Geoffrey Fox, 41 – two of whom he killed himself within the space of just 30 seconds. 

At the time of his sentencing, Mr Justice Hildreth Glyn-Jones told Roberts: ‘I think it likely that no Home Secretary regarding the enormity of your crime will ever think it fit to show you mercy by releasing you on licence.’ 

But in 2014, an independent Parole Board deemed he was eligible for release, despite the killer showing little to no remorse for his catastrophic crimes. 

The decision, which was supported by then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, caused outrage across the nation, with other politicians declaring that anyone who kills a police officer belongs ‘behind bars for life’.

Roberts was found guilty of three murders after a trial for what the judge described as ‘the most heinous crime for a generation or more’. 

Notorious triple police killer Harry Roberts (pictured) died aged 89 on Saturday

Roberts (right) in August 2009 with a prison guard in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire 

He was jailed for shooting dead Sgt Christopher Head, Det Con David Wombwell and PC Geoffrey Fox in 1966

Squads of detectives and uniformed police searching for Roberts, who was wanted after shootings of three London police officers

A police officer searches for Roberts after the shootings, after he went missing for 96 days 

He had been sitting with his accomplices John Duddy and John Witney in a van near Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London.

The trio had been preparing for an armed robbery when they were approached by the officers and Roberts opened fire with a Luger pistol on the three unarmed officers.

Roberts shot dead two of the policemen, DS Head and DC Wombwell, while DC Fox was killed by Duddy.

His accomplices were caught but Roberts, then 30, remained on the run for 96 days – relying on his training as a soldier to survive. His disappearance sparked Scotland Yard’s biggest ever manhunt.

He was later found near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, living in a camouflaged den made out of plastic bags and branches.

On November 15, 1966, Roberts was given three life sentences with a 30 year minimum tariff. He went on to become on of Britain’s longest serving prisoners until his release 48 years later – almost to the day.

The judge’s daughter, Anne Glyn-Jones, said her father regarded Roberts as evil and would have sentenced him to death if he could have done.

However, the death penalty had been abolished the year before the case was heard at the Old Bailey.

Scenes at West London Magistrates Court on August 14, 1966, after the murders took place 

Police search for clues at the crime scene on August 14, 1996 

Roberts’s accomplices Witney and Duddy are both dead. Duddy died in prison, and Witney was murdered after his release from jail.

Roberts showed little to no remorse for his heinous crimes, in 2014 describing the atmosphere as ‘electric’ while taking the lives of the three men. 

‘With half a smile, my mate Jack said quietly, “Let the slag have it, Harry.” Instantly, I raised my arm and, with the Luger Jack had just handed me, I shot the copper point blank. The bullet hit him just below the eye. He slumped to the ground. I could hear my heart thumping. The air was electric,’ he told the Daily Mail in an interview on the year of his release.    

Roberts had lost his bid to be granted parole in 2009 after he threatened and intimidated Joan Cartwright, her husband Peter and her son James, who had given Roberts work at their animal sanctuary while he was on day release.

He had threatened to kill the couple after she complained about his behaviour, and he rang her from prison up to five times a week after learning she had given evidence against him.

Several attacks were also carried out on her animals at the East Midlands sanctuary.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe had also criticised plans to release Roberts.

He said: ‘In this case “life” should have meant what it said.’

Sir Bernard added: ‘Roberts pleaded guilty to two cold-blooded murders and was involved, with his accomplices, in a third. He was convicted of all three murders.’

Roberts died in the hospital last Saturday after battling a short illness, more than a decade after being freed. 

He was released on licence from Littlehey Prison in November 2014, aged 78, and remained under the supervision of the probation service. 

Following his controversial release from HMP Littlehey, Roberts lived in sheltered accommodation in Peterborough.

Police search for clues at the crime scene on August 14, 1996, after the killings 

One associate of the former public enemy number one told The Sun: ‘He went into hospital recently and died suddenly last Saturday from natural causes.’

In a 2014 interview with the Mail, Roberts gave a detailed account of the killings. 

He told how he and his two accomplices were planning a robbery at a local engineering works and how his anger started to build when Whitney’s attempt to steal the third car they needed failed. 

‘I got the right hump. We were driving in the van to the factory and spotted a Triumph 2000 following us. There were three men in the car. I turned to Jack. “That’s the Old Bill. I bet they’re going to nick us.” 

‘He looked worried and carried on driving. We drove into Braybrook Street. It was 2.45pm. The car overtook us and stopped about 130ft ahead. One of the men got out of the car and started to come towards the van. We were panicking, trying to hide all our tools including the shooters.’

Roberts continued: ‘Jack reached into the glove compartment and gave them to him. Wombwell walked back to the police car and we could see him talking to the other officer, Sergeant [Christopher] Head. 

‘Jack handed me the 9mm Luger that he had under the dashboard. Wombwell returned to Jack’s side of the van. Now he wanted to see what was in the back. “F*** off,” said Jack and a violent row erupted. ‘Sergeant Head came around to my side of the van and with my elbow, I quickly flicked the switch down so he couldn’t open my door.   

‘That annoyed him and he started shaking the van, grabbing hold of the door handle and screaming, “Open the door!” Me and Jack looked at each other. By this time Wombwell had his head through the open window, screaming at Jack.

‘With half a smile, Jack said quietly, “Let the slag have it, Harry.”

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Manchester United drew 4-4 at home to Bournemouth on Monday night with Ruben Amorim’s formation change one of the talking points from a thrilling game at Old Trafford

20:46, 16 Dec 2025Updated 20:46, 16 Dec 2025

Ruben Amorim saw his Manchester United formation change leaked before Monday’s game against Bournemouth (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United have reportedly launched an inquiry into how Ruben Amorim’s plans to tweak his system leaked out on the day of the Bournemouth game. United’s head coach has favoured a three-man defence since his move from Sporting to Old Trafford in November 2024.

However, he made a slight adjustment during Monday night’s 4-4 draw at home to the Cherries, with Diogo Dalot moving from his usual wing-back position on the left to a traditional full-back role in a four-man defence.

Nevertheless, word of this change was leaked on Monday afternoon, reportedly causing concern at United that Bournemouth may have been given advance notice of their strategy on the day of the match.

The Mail now claim that United are committed to identifying the source of the leak to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future. A club spokesperson declined to comment.

READ MORE: Paul Scholes thinks he knows Arsenal aces’ view on player Mikel Arteta was ‘forced to sign’READ MORE: Ousmane Dembele wins FIFA Best award as PSG star beats Lamine Yamal again

A concerned Amorim was asked about the change post-match on Monday and chose to turn the question back onto the media.

He said: “That is for you to discuss, not for me. I know that you guys know that I trained this week with a back four. I don’t know how, but that is a good thing for you guys to discuss this week.”

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Monday’s incident is not the first involving leaks at the club under Amorim, with United said to have been ‘furious’ in September over reports that Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes is ‘unhappy’. United’s team selection was also leaked well ahead of the Manchester derby in December 2024.

Several other stories were leaked last season, including those over squad issues and team news, with United’s hierarchy taking steps to identify the mole in the camp. Other managerial tenures at M16, under Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Jose Mourinho, were also plagued by leaks.

United started well against Andoni Iraola’s team on Monday, with Amad deservedly putting Amorim’s men a goal ahead in the first half before they were pegged back by Antoine Semenyo’s equaliser.

Casemiro nodded United back in front on the stroke of half-time from a corner, before a quick-fire double at the start of the second half gave Bournemouth the lead. Fernandes then equalised with a stunning free-kick before Matheus Cunha put the Red Devils ahead again.

Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot of Manchester United(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

But again, United could not hang on to their lead with Eli Junior Kroupi pulling the Cherries level once more. The hosts have now moved up to sixth in the top-flight table, with Bournemouth nudging themselves up to 13th.

“If you understand a little bit,” Amorim said post-match. “If you follow the club like I follow the Premier League for so long, you [know you] have not just the duty to try to win the games. The way you try to win the games is so important for the fans.

“Of course they are desperate to win, but also, I feel that they are desperate to be inspired when they come to Old Trafford. Today was inspiring, I think, also because of Bournemouth. But in the end that’s the feeling of frustration of not winning the game.”

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FIFA has announced “more affordable” tickets for all 104 matches at next year’s World Cup after an outcry over pricing.

The cheapest tickets will now be on offer from $60 (£45) as part of a new “Supporter Entry Tier” which will be available specifically to supporters of qualified teams.

However, only 10% of participating member association’s allocated tickets will fall under this most affordable category.

As a result, the number of $60 tickets for each game is likely to be in the hundreds, rather than thousands.

Supporter value tier prices will apply to 40% of their tickets with the remaining 50% being split evenly between supporter standard tier and supporter premier tier.

Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporter’s Europe (FSE), a group that represents the interests of supporters in European football, said the group was “looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash”.

He added: “This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation – including with FIFA’s own member associations.”

While he welcomed FIFA’s “seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause”, he insisted “the revisions do not go far enough to reconcile” the harm done.

Image:
England and Scotland have qualified for next year’s World Cup. Pics: Reuters

In a statement, FIFA said: “With demand in the current sales phase achieving 20 million ticket requests, FIFA has confirmed that fans of the national teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier, which has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable.

“The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of USD 60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final.”

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Where will England and Scotland play their World Cup games?

FIFA had been urged to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged countries’ most loyal fans faced paying “extortionate” prices for tickets, with the cheapest for the final coming in at over £3,000.

The cheaper tickets, which will be made available for every game at the tournament in North America, will be given to the national federations whose teams are playing.

It will then be up to those federations to decide how to distribute them to loyal fans who have likely attended previous games at home and on the road.

FIFA caving into criticism like rarely before

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent

@RobHarris

This is FIFA caving into criticism like rarely before under Gianni Infantino. It has still not shut down the outcry at the cost of going to the World Cup.

“We have listened to feedback,” a senior FIFA official acknowledged to Sky News.
Suddenly cutting World Cup ticket prices amid a growing fan backlash is a significant climbdown.
FIFA admitted it got it wrong by pricing tickets too high.

Groups, including England’s Football Supporter’s Association, said last week it was “scandalous” its cheapest group stage tickets in the United States would cost about £165 ($265) and the cheapest for the final £3,130.
Now, FIFA says there will be $60 (£45) tickets for every match. The US-Canada-Mexico bid book ahead of the 2018 FIFA vote said the cheapest tickets would be $21.

“This new category is the right thing to do,” the FIFA official close to talks said.
But only 10% of the allocation for each team will be made available at the new cheaper entry point.
So for England’s opener against Croatia, there could only be 750 tickets at £45. The Dallas stadium has a capacity of 94,000.

It will be for the FAs to work out who should receive these cheapest tickets from their fan base.
The men’s World Cup is FIFA’s main source of income every four years – with revenue of $13bn (£9.75bn) across the 2023-26 cycle.

It helps to fund expanding women’s and youth tournaments as well as draws, conferences and award ceremonies.
And this U-turn overshadowed one of their glitziest nights of the year – the FIFA Best awards in Qatar.
That was one FIFA event supporters couldn’t buy a ticket to – for any price.

The news shows how the organisation is continuing its weeks-long move to back away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets.

FIFA did not specify exactly why it so dramatically changed strategy, but said the lower prices are “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.

Read more from Sky News:
The politics behind FIFA’s reshaped Club World Cup
Unapologetically political – a World Cup draw like no other

Prices for England’s fixtures at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico were revealed last week, with the cheapest ticket for the final – should England, one of the home nations reach that stage – costing between $4,185 (£3,120) and $8,680 (£6,471) for members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club.

Outrage over such high prices was made worse due to co-hosts having pledged eight years ago to have hundreds of thousands of $21 (£15.64) tickets.

In another climbdown, FIFA has also announced that fans applying through the participating member association’s tickets allocation whose teams do not advance to the knockout phase will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed for unsuccessful applications.

Fan anger had intensified when it became clear that fans who wanted to reserve a ticket for all of their team’s potential games – through the final – would not get refunded if their teams didn’t make it to the final until after the tournament.

The World Cup in North America will be the first edition that features 48 teams – up from 32 – and is expected to earn FIFA at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in revenue.

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Saying the unedited video of a September 2 strike on a boat in the Caribbean is “top secret,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that its viewing will be restricted to select lawmakers, not the general public.

Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025

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Sajid Akram was from Hyderabad in India, local police confirm

Sajid Akram, the alleged gunman shot dead by police during Sunday’s attack on Bondi beach, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and his family did not know about his “radical mindset”, Indian police said overnight, as reported by Reuters news wire.

In a statement providing more details about the man alleged to have carried out the attack with his son, police in the southern Indian state of Telangana said Sajid Akram, 50, had got a degree in commerce in Hyderabad, the large and bustling tech and pharma hub that is the state capital.

Akram then moved to Australia in November 1998 to find work and married a woman described as of European origin, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

He went back to India six times for family-related reasons such as property matters and to visit his parents but did not return when his father died, the police statement said.

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Updated at 20.20 CET

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A man will face Court over allegedly displaying a Nazi symbol in the state’s Lake Macquarie area.

On Saturday 6 December 2025, officers from Lake Macquarie Police District attended a home on Albert Street, Swansea, in relation to a prohibited nazi symbol displayed on a boat parked at the location.

NSW police said:

Following inquiries, on Tuesday 16 December 2025, detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District executed a search warrant at a house in Albert Street, Swansea, and arrested a 32-year-old man.

Police seized two marine vessels and other items which will be subject to further examination.

The man was taken to Belmont Police Station where he was charged with three offences – cause prohibited Nazi symbol to be displayed in a public place, offensive behaviour and breach of bail.

The man was refused bail and will appear in court later today.

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Good morning, everyone. This is Cait Kelly, and I will be with you until the afternoon.

I am just getting the latest on patient numbers and my colleague Penry will soon bring you the news about the paddle-out at Bondi this morning.

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Updated at 20.56 CET

Vigil in Bondi mourns Matilda

The heartbroken parents of attack victim Matilda pleased with Australia to “remember her name” as they addressed hundreds of mourners gathered at Bondi Pavilion last.

Kelly Burke was there and has delivered this moving report:

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Islamic State active in the Philippines

We have a full report on what we know about Sajid and Naveed Akram’s trip to the Philippines where it is claimed in reports this morning that they had “military training”.

There is no hard evidence yet that men met any Islamic State groups but Guardian Australia’s world terrorism expert, Jason Burke, has this analysis that although the reason for the Philippines trip remains unclear, Islamic State is active there.

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Sajid Akram’s family had ‘no knowledge’ of his radicalisation

The statement from Telangana police said Akram’s family seemed unaware of his “radicalisation” and it appeared unconnected with India, where police had no “adverse record” of him before he left in 1998, Reuters reports.

“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,” the statement said.

“The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.”

When Reuters on Tuesday visited “Zehra Cottage”, Akram’s family home in the Al Hasnath colony of Hyderabad’s Tolichowki area, a middle-class Muslim neighbourhood, the three-storey building’s gates were shut. No family members were to be seen.

Most neighbours were unwilling to speak to reporters. One neighbour said a doctor lived in the house, referring to Akram’s brother. His elderly mother also stays with them, he said.

“We heard he [the brother] is a doctor,” said the neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“This is a silent and peaceful colony. We have never interacted with them or the family. No one in the colony has any criminal history or has attracted police attention before.”

Media in front of the house of the family of Sajid Akram, in Hyderabad, India, on Tuesday. Photograph: Almaas Masood/Reuters

Australian police said Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed, who was identified by Australian media as his alleged accomplice and is in critical condition in hospital after also being shot, had travelled to the Philippines last month.

The father travelled on an Indian passport and the son on an Australian one, and the purpose of the trip is under investigation, officials said, adding that it was not conclusive they were linked to any terrorist group or whether they received training in that country.

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Sajid Akram was from Hyderabad in India, local police confirm

Sajid Akram, the alleged gunman shot dead by police during Sunday’s attack on Bondi beach, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and his family did not know about his “radical mindset”, Indian police said overnight, as reported by Reuters news wire.

In a statement providing more details about the man alleged to have carried out the attack with his son, police in the southern Indian state of Telangana said Sajid Akram, 50, had got a degree in commerce in Hyderabad, the large and bustling tech and pharma hub that is the state capital.

Akram then moved to Australia in November 1998 to find work and married a woman described as of European origin, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

He went back to India six times for family-related reasons such as property matters and to visit his parents but did not return when his father died, the police statement said.

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Updated at 20.20 CET

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be your morning blogger with the main action.

Police said overnight that Sajid Akram, the older of the two alleged Bondi gunmen, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. However, police said Akram had limited contact with his family in India who “knew nothing” about his radicalisation. More in a moment.

It was another night of intense emotion in Bondi as hundreds gathered to mourn the victims, whose named were read out by a rabbi. The focal point was the grief of the parents of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim. More to come.

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The United States on Tuesday designated Colombia’s largest armed drug-trafficking group, “Clan del Golfo,” as a terrorist organization.

Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has classified numerous gangs and cartels based in Latin America as terrorist organizations, as his administration seeks to broaden the legal means available to go after these groups.

“Clan del Golfo is a violent and powerful criminal organization with thousands of members,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement posted on the State Department website.

“The group’s primary source of income is cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its violent activities. Clan del Golfo is responsible for terrorist attacks against public officials, law enforcement and military personnel, and civilians in Colombia,” the statement said.

What does the designation mean?

Designating Clan del Golfo as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)” and a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” means that any level of US-based support for the group amounts to a federal crime based on terrorism charges. Any US financial institution must block funds connected with the group.

Fishers in Colombia worry as US strikes alleged drug boats

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The terrorist designation also serves as a warning for foreign or regional governments and financial institutions that choose to continue to support or do business with the group.

“The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” Rubio said.

Trump’s pressure on Colombian President Petro

The US National Security Strategy released earlier this month signaled that the Trump’s administration’s foreign policy priority is on the Western Hemisphere, and countering what it considers national security threats emerging out of Latin America.

This has included stationing naval assets in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Venezuela and controversially carrying out strikes on small boats against alleged drug traffickers. The Trump administration is also putting massive pressure on Venezuela’s strongman President Nicolas Maduro.

Although Colombia is considered a strong US ally in Latin America, Trump and his left-wing Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, do not have a good relationship. 

Petro is a known critic of the US “war on drugs” and the Trump administration’s hardline migration policy. He has also characterized US strikes in the Caribbean as “extrajudicial executions” that “violate international law.”

Venezuelans on edge as Trump escalates rhetoric in Caribbean

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The Trump administration has said Petro’s government is not doing enough to combat drug trafficking.

In October, the Trump administration sanctioned Petro, claiming he “allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”

US Secretary of State Rubio has publicly called Petro a “lunatic,” while Trump has also cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Colombia.

What is Clan del Golfo?

Also called the Gaitanist Army of Colombia, the Clan del Golfo emerged around 2006 out of a right-wing paramilitary coalition.

The group’s main source of income is drug trafficking, and Colombian military intelligence estimates it ships hundreds of tons of cocaine to the US and Europe every year.

The group also battles other gangs, such as the Venezuela-based syndicate “Tren de Aragua,” including for control of areas in the capital, Bogota. 

Since Colombian President Gustavo Petro took office in 2022, he has sought to negotiate with Colombia’s various armed groups and bring an end to decades of violence.

The Clan del Golfo is currently in talks with Petro’s government, which signed an agreement after talks in Doha aimed at the group’s eventual disarmament and peace in territories under its control.

Colombia’s government is negotiating with Clan del Golfo, seen here during December 5th talks in Doha Image: Mahmud Hams/AFP

The group has tried in recent years to style itself more as a political movement, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which would grant it different conditions at peace talks. However, the group is not widely considered to have concrete political aims, and focuses mainly on criminal activity like drug trafficking, human trafficking and extortion.

And the US terrorist designation could complicate Petro’s attempts at negotiation, as Washington would now consider any talks between Petro’s government and Clan del Golfo as negotiating with a terrorist group.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery

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Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC has a “fundamental flaw” and would have to overcome a number of legal hurdles to be successful in the US, according to a leading media lawyer.

The US president has filed a $10bn defamation claim against the broadcaster over an edit of a Panorama documentary a week before the 2024 US election, which his lawyers argue “was false and defamatory”.

They also claimed “the BBC intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world”. In a statement, the BBC said it will be defending the case.

The programme is accused of misleading viewers by editing a speech Trump delivered on 6 January 2021.

The broadcaster spliced two distinct clips from Trump’s speech that day, creating the impression that he instructed a crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”

The controversy, first revealed by The Telegraph last month, led to a full-blown crisis at the corporation and the resignations of the BBC’s director general Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness.

The BBC said documents filed by Trump’s lawyers late on Monday in a federal court in Miami asked for $5bn (£3.7bn) in damages for defamation, as well as the same amount for a claim of violating trade practices, for a total of $10bn.

open image in gallery

The Panorama documentary edited two clips together so that Trump appeared to tell the crowd: ‘We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell’ (AFP/Getty)

A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”

International media lawyer Mark Stephens from London firm Howard Kennedy believes there are aspects of the claim, which the president will struggle to prove.

‘Jurisdiction is the magic element here’

President Trump cannot sue the BBC in a British court as he missed the deadline to do so – defamation claims in the UK have a statute of limitations of one year.

The case has been filed in a Florida court, but Mr Stephens believes this creates the “fundamental flaw” of the president’s case – jurisdiction.

He told The Independent: “His lawyers missed the UK deadline by two weeks. So he then has to find somewhere else it was published – that’s why they spend the first few pages of the lawsuit talking about jurisdiction.

open image in gallery

Donald Trump is seeking damages into the billions of dollars (PA Wire)

“What they say is that American courts have jurisdiction when people are from those jurisdictions. President Trump lives in Florida, so he can bring a case.

“The problem you’ve got is they haven’t entertained whether the libel happened in Florida and they haven’t proved that.”

The Florida court does not have jurisdiction to hear a claim concerning material that was not broadcast in the US president Trump must prove that people in Florida could have viewed the Panorama episode.

Mr Stephens explained: “The jurisdiction is the magic element here. President Trump and his lawyers have to prove the libel of the Panorama programme was firstly published in the USA, ideally in Florida, secondly that somebody saw it and thirdly that the people who saw it think worse of him as a consequence of having seen the programme.

“They try to address this. They say that people on Britbox (streaming platform) in Florida might have been able to watch it and anyone in Florida using a VPN – because it was geo-blocked from the USA – might have been able to watch it.”

He added: “What is notable in its absence from the lawsuit, in all its 87 pages, is any evidence that it was published to anybody and anybody who watched it thought less of Donald Trump.

“That’s the burden that the claimant – Donald Trump – has and his lawyers haven’t discharged.”

open image in gallery

BBC director-general Tim Davie resigned over the scandal (PA Wire)

‘An absence of actual malice’

US libel law differs from that in the UK, as the burden is on the claimant rather than the defendant. The claimant must prove the claim is false, is defamatory and has been published or broadcast.

Mr Stephens believes this poses more hurdles for the president.

He said: “The second [flaw] is essentially there’s an absence of actual malice. In order to demonstrate that, President Trump’s lawyers have to show that the BBC acted, knowing the truth, and deliberately turned their eyes away from it, and put in a deliberate falsehood.

“That isn’t a conceivable element, I think. They haven’t discharged the burden of that in the complaint as far as I can see.

“The president is a public figure and he has to show (proof of) actual malice – that is that the BBC knew it was wrong and didn’t care.

“Practically speaking, you’re hunting for very specific evidence of demonstrable, material harm and the proof BBC knew it was wrong or didn’t care whether it was wrong.

“None of that appears in the claim, and they are essential elements for his lawyers to prove in a successful claim.”

The BBC is committed to fighting the case. As it has been filed, the next stage would it being served to the BBC, but Mr Stephens believes the corporation could have parts of it struck out, enabling it to save on legal costs.

He said: “If it’s struck out before trial, I think it [litigation] will cost the BBC around $200,000.

“If it goes to trial, it will cost around $1m, maybe a little bit more. I’ve seen estimates saying around tens of millions, but that’s rubbish – the evidence is quite straightforward.”

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NEED TO KNOW

Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson are touring together this summer

They announced the news Tuesday, Dec. 16 on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’

Groban described Hudson as “one of the greatest vocalists who’s ever lived”

Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson are finding perfect harmony on the road!

The singers announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16 that they’re set to tour together this summer, and will head to 16 arenas around North America in June and July.

Groban and Hudson, both 44, shared the news on an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, teasing the audience with a special “secret” they were both keeping.

“We might have the same secret, which I think we should tell people, which is that this summer, this extraordinary, extraordinary, one of the greatest vocalists who’s ever lived, one of the most amazing people on the planet…has graciously agreed to come out on the road with me,” Groban said. “We’re gonna be touring!”

The “You Raise Me Up” singer added that he was “honored” to hit the road with Hudson, and even teased all of the “duet possibilities” between the two, who have a combined 14 Grammy nominations.

“This can’t be my life, but I am so excited. It is such an honor,” Hudson said. “One of the greatest vocalists in the world.”

Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson.

Stifel

The tour, which is billed as “two legendary voices, one unforgettable evening,” kicks off June 2 in Montreal, and will stop in major cities like New York City, Boston and Nashville before wrapping in July.

It comes following Groban’s previously announced dates on his GEMS World Tour, which will take him to Hawaii, Asia, Oceania and Europe from February through April.

“Performing live has always been one of the greatest joys of my life, and getting to share these nights with Jennifer, someone I admire so deeply, makes it all the more special,” Groban said in a statement. “These shows are going to be emotional, celebratory, and full of surprises. I can’t wait to see everyone this summer.”

Groban released the album Hidden Gems in November, a collection of rarities, deep cuts and previously unreleased tracks, including the song “The Constant.” Hudson, meanwhile, released her last album, the holiday record The Gift of Love, in 2024.

Ticket pre-sales will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. local, and the general on-sale starts Friday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. local. One dollar from every ticket sold will be donated to Groban’s Find Your Light Foundation, which he launched to support arts education for children in underserved communities.

See below for North American tour dates with Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson.

June 2 – Montreal, QC – Place Bell

June 4 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

June 6 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

June 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena

June 10 – Hershey, PA – Giant Center

June 12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

June 16 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

June 17 – Atlanta, GA – Gas South Arena

June 19 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena

June 20 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

June 24 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center

June 25 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

June 27 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena

June 28 – St Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena

July 1 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

July 3 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center

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Rob Reiner’s embattled son Nick has hired a top lawyer to represent him, after he was arrested for the murder of his mother and father.

Nick Reiner has retained attorney Alan Jackson – whose former clients include Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein.

Jackson also made headlines for representing Karen Read in her Massachusetts murder trial over the death of her Boston cop boyfriend, as well as Malibu rich kid Fraser Bohm, 23, who is accused of killing four sorority sisters in a high-speed crash. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, no charges have been filed against Reiner. 

He was set to appear at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County today, but he was not medically cleared to do so, according to Jackson. 

Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse that he did not know what the medical issue was, but he said Reiner will not appear before Wednesday. 

Reiner, 32, was arrested and booked for the murder of his father, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, and his mother Michele, who were found dead with their throats split at their home on Sunday. 

He remains in custody at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. 

Nick Reiner has retained attorney Alan Jackson (pictured today, outside the criminal courthouse in Los Angeles) whose former clients include Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein

Nick Reiner, 32, (pictured in September 2025) was arrested and booked for the murder of his father, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, and his mother Michele, who were found dead with their throats split at their home on Sunday. No charges have been filed against Reiner yet

Reiner was arrested several hours after his parents were found dead in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday.

Investigators believe the couple died from stab wounds, although they have not offered any potential motive for the killings. 

Prosecutors are soon set to decide whether and how to charge the 32-year-old, whose court appearance Tuesday morning was cancelled.

‘He is not medically cleared to be transported to the court,’ Jackson said, adding that it was ‘just a procedural issue.’

His attorney has made a career of representing high-profile clients, including CEOs, celebrities, NBA players and foreign royals.

Among Jackson’s most famous clients was Harvey Weinstein, whom he represented during his sexual assault trial in Los Angeles. A jury convicted Weinstein in 2022.

He represented Kevin Spacey when he was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man in Massachusetts.

Jackson, known for his assertive court-room style, challenged the accusations from the accuser and prosecution. The charges against Spacey were ultimately dropped.

Jackson made headlines for representing Karen Read (pictured together in 2024) in her Massachusetts murder trial over the death of her Boston cop boyfriend

Actor Kevin Spacey (left) attends his arraignment on sexual assault charges with his lawyer Alan Jackson (right) at Nantucket District Court on January 7, 2019 in Massachusetts

Harvey Weinstein (left) sits with his attorneys Mark Werksman (center) and Alan Jackson (right) during a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles on July 29, 2021

Jackson Malibu rich kid Fraser Bohm, 23, (pictured together in November 2025) who is accused of killing four sorority sisters in a high-speed crash

Jackson most recently represented Karen Read, who this year was acquitted of murdering her boyfriend in Massachusetts after a mistrial and hung jury.

He was a central figure in the HBO documentary on the Read case. 

Before becoming a powerhouse defense attorney, Jackson worked in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was the lead prosecutor in the murder case against music producer Phil Spector, who was convicted in 2009, and in 2006 prosecuted the killer of race car driver Mickey Thompson.

Jackson was named one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers and has earned a reputation for winning the ‘unwinnable’ cases, according to his biography on the Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP website.

He has tried more than 85 cases to jury verdict, has a 96 percent success rate, and is one of the ‘most sought-after criminal trial lawyers’ in the US, his firm boasted.

The claim is echoed by experts, including legal analyst Lou Shapiro who told the Daily Mail on Tuesday: ‘Alan Jackson has a great reputation in the legal community for being fearless, relentless and efficient. 

‘It showed in his advocacy for Karen Read where he obtained an acquittal in her retrial. This case may call for a different approach, such as not guilty by reason of insanity. No matter what, he will be ready for it.’

Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 70 (pictured together in 2023), were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday

Rob Reiner was the Emmy-winning star of the sitcom All in the Family who went on to direct films including When Harry Met Sally… and The Princess Bride. He was an outspoken liberal activist for decades. 

Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, movie producer and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. They had been married for 36 years.

Three months ago, Nick was photographed with his parents and siblings at the premiere of his father’s film Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.

He had spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction, cycling in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness in between through his teen years. 

The father and son explored – and seemed to improve – their relationship through the making of the 2016 film, Being Charlie.

Nick Reiner co-wrote and his father directed the film about the struggles of an addicted son and a famous father. It was not autobiographical but included several elements of their lives.

‘It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,’ Rob Reiner told the AP in 2016. ‘I told Nick while we were making it, I said, “You know it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already”.’

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Jessica Picton tested positive for alcohol, cocaine and cannabis after being pulled over by police, less than two hours after leaving work at a school in Swansea

Jessica Picton was stopped by police less than two hours after leaving work at Clase Primary in Swansea(Image: Google Maps)

A teaching assistant drove under the influence of cocaine, cannabis and alcohol – less than two hours after she’d clocked off from work.

Jessica Picton was stopped by police at the roadside at 4.45pm due to a strong smell of cannabis coming from her car, an Education Workforce Council Wales fitness to practise committee heard. She had left work at Clase Primary in Swansea as usual at 3.10pm.

The level two teaching assistant, who worked with vulnerable additional learning needs, was breathalysed and drug tested. Alcohol, cocaine and cannabis were detected.

Picton was arrested, charged and later convicted of driving under the influence of controlled drugs and alcohol after being stopped by police on December 11, 2023, WalesOnline reports.

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Magistrates issued her with a curfew and electronic tag, a 17-month driving ban and a community order when she pleaded guilty on June 14, 2024. She was also required to do rehabilitation activities.

Clase Primary’s then headteacher Sharon Hope, who has since left the school, told the EWC committee, meeting remotely on December 16, that she had been contacted by the local authority telling her about Picton’s arrest. The TA was off work for a couple of days after her arrest, but when she returned Mrs Hope asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell her.

“There was no evidence she was intoxicated in work but there was such a small gap that it was possible she had been in work under the influence of drugs,” Mrs Hope told the committee. “I asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell me. She replied ‘anything in particular?’. I was taken aback.”

The headteacher said that when she advised Picton to be honest with her, the TA claimed her brother had been smoking cannabis in the car, which was why it smelled and why she was pulled over by police.

Mrs Hope felt Picton was not being entirely transparent about what had happened, was worried about whether she had been at work under the influence of drugs and told her to go home and work remotely for a period. She was then suspended on full pay while an investigation was launched.

“I asked Jessica Picton if she had taken cocaine to which she replied ‘not knowingly’,” Mrs Hope told the hearing. “There was a lack of transparency. I reminded her this was her opportunity to give me an honest account.”

Mrs Hope said Picton was liked by colleagues, was hard working and kind to the vulnerable ALN children she worked with. She had started her career at the school in 2012 and trained there. There had been no previous concerns about her.

Finding it proved that Picton was convicted of offences relevant to her registration, the EWC panel also found it proved that she had not notified the school, as she should have, about her arrest on December 11, 2023 until asked about it three days later by the head.

The committee also found the teaching assistant gave misleading and/or false information to Mrs Hope about the circumstances of her arrest and judged that her actions were dishonest, lacked integrity and amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

As Picton was neither present nor represented at the hearing, and had offered no formal pleas, the allegations were taken as denied. The committee retired to decide on whether to impose any sanction on her registration to work. The hearing continues.

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