Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Friday 30th May, 2014.

You can contribute to the live blog by posting your comment below, and you can also tweet us @EveningGazette to share breaking news stories, pictures and opinions.

Our Teesside breaking news live blog begins at 07:00am every weekday and is updated throughout the day and into the evening.

Canada On Verge of Banning Christians from Professional Life

An intense struggle is happening in the realm of professional licensing in Canada. The religious freedom of Christians and others is colliding on a grand scale with the “equality rights” of the LGBTQ identity group, and as the tide turns in favor of equality rights, we are starting to witness socially accepted ostracism of Christians by professional bodies.

On April 24th, the law society of Canada’s largest province voted against admitting among their ranks graduates of Trinity Western University, for the sole reason that the school’s community covenant, which students (and teachers) voluntarily sign upon admission or hiring, reserves sexual intimacy for heterosexual marriage. Nova Scotia followed suit, wording their rejection as approval on the condition that TWU change its community covenant or allow students to opt out. In British Columbia, where the school is located, the law society voted on April 11th to admit TWU graduates to the bar, but momentum is building for the law society to reverse that decision in a special meeting on June 10th.

The Supreme Court of Canada will likely soon have a chance to settle this matter, since Trinity Western University has just launched lawsuits against the law societies of Ontario and Nova Scotia, rightly alleging that they failed to stick to the law and follow an earlier Supreme Court decision that approved TWU’s covenant. That 2001 decision, Trinity Western University v. BC College of Teachers , is still good law, but many of our country’s top lawyers have become convinced that a shift in public opinion and the legalization of same-sex marriage have altered the climate enough to overturn the Court’s earlier opinion.

Such lawyers might well be right. With same-sex marriage legalized, the public debate is now strongly weighed against Christians who believe in traditional marriage, and they face rapidly mounting charges of unreasonable intolerance. During the April 11th debate by the B.C. law society (read the transcript online), some Benchers considered TWU’s covenant discriminatory because it requires gay students to abstain from intimacy “even within a legal marriage,” and because it prevents gay students “from being married by the State, a right that was hard fought and hard won.”

Christians Belong in the Closet

As equality rights have been gaining ground, religious freedom has been on the retreat. Many lawyers now argue that even a private religious school like TWU must not be allowed to “discriminate” in its hiring practices by choosing teachers who abide by its moral tenets or by expecting students to conform their behavior to the beliefs that the school espouses.

This new “balance” between religious freedom and equality rights essentially asks TWU to enter the proverbial closet. It would mean that gay students or teachers could openly live out lifestyles that directly violate TWU’s religious values, while TWU would effectively be disabled from creating a campus life reflective of its religious beliefs.

The new reasoning holds that even as religiously-based morality is pushed out of the realm of action and into the confines of our minds, religious freedom is not being impacted. As B.C. Bencher Joe Arvay put it: “No one is asking any of their religious students or faculty to abandon their beliefs.” As long as no mind control is being applied, we are apparently free. But the mere freedom to think religious thoughts is a very narrow religious freedom indeed.

Such a restrictive understanding of religious freedom led Bencher Dean Lawton to caution the B.C. Law Society not to become “Pharisees of secularism,” and Bencher David Crossin agreed:

[T]he right to assemble and the right to freely and openly practice religious belief…is a fundamental right in this country that is to be jealously guarded…a response that sidesteps this fundamental Canadian freedom in order to either punish TWU for its value system or force it to replace it…would risk undermining freedom of religion for all and…would be a dangerous over-extension of institutional power.

Christians Are the New Racists

Just a few years ago, it would have sounded absurd to say that Christians who believe in traditional heterosexual marriage are akin to racists. Today this opinion is quite seriously held by an increasing number of our most prominent lawyers. B.C. Bencher Cameron Ward put it this way: “I remember that in the 1960s some people in the deep south of the United States were made to feel unwelcome at lunch counters, at the fronts of buses and, indeed, in some universities…TWU’s community covenant is an anachronism, a throwback that wouldn’t be out of place in the 1960s.” Other Benchers asked “whether we would have the same debate over discrimination against other equity-seeking groups, like women, people with disabilities or racial minorities.”

What is perhaps most concerning about these comparisons of Christianity to racism and other heinous intolerance is that they lead directly to the belief that Christians are simply not capable of practicing their professions without imperilling the rights of minority groups. Just as they would feel justified in excluding those who hold racist or misogynistic beliefs from positions of influence, so many Benchers also found it right and good to exclude Christians from the legal profession. For such lawyers, Christians have become synonymous with bigots who represent a public threat.

What Is Next for Canada?

Trinity Western University has started the process of bringing this whole matter back to the Supreme Court of Canada, but the outcome of that legal journey is far from certain. The climate has steadily shifting in favour of equality rights, and significant factions in the legal community now believe that religious freedom should be far more limited. Ontario’s law society is the largest and most influential in Canada, and its ostracism of TWU may well be heralding a new trend of exclusion of Christians from public and professional life.

If the Supreme Court decides against TWU, then surely other professional bodies will not stay far behind Ontario and Nova Scotia in excluding the graduates of TWU. Teachers already tried to do this in 2001, and emboldened by a new ruling they would surely try again. Nurses, dentists, accountants and other professionals could well follow suit.

Other Christian schools need to get ready for the domino effect. There are various independent religious schools in Canada, and many of them have covenants. Such schools should get ready for difficult decisions about putting their faith into practice. While they may be allowed to keep their covenants for the time being, they could be limiting the job opportunities of their graduates by doing so.

In the future, even foreign-trained students may not find welcome in Canada if their schools profess the sanctity of traditional marriage. Many international law students arrive in Canada each year, and currently the law societies do not look at the belief systems of the schools they came from but rather, they examine the academic training these students received. All this may change if our law societies proceed further in the direction of excluding students from schools like TWU. Even American students studying at private religious schools with covenants that profess the sanctity of traditional marriage might find their future career options curtailed in Canada.

The current developments in Canada bring to mind a quote from Princeton Professor Robert George, who recently warned Catholics in Washington, D.C. of a nascent persecution of Christians in our society:

To be a witness to the Gospel today is to make oneself a marked man or woman. It is to expose oneself to scorn and reproach. To unashamedly proclaim the Gospel in its fullness is to place in jeopardy one’s security, one’s personal aspirations and ambitions, the peace and tranquility one enjoys, one’s standing in polite society. One may in consequence of one’s public witness be discriminated against and denied educational opportunities and the prestigious credentials they may offer; one may lose valuable opportunities for employment and professional advancement; one may be excluded from worldly recognition and honors of various sorts; one’s witness may even cost one treasured friendships. It may produce familial discord and even alienation from family members. Yes, there are costs of discipleship—heavy costs.

These are the costs that Christians in Canada may indeed now have to bear, much sooner than they perhaps expected.

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A Young College Grad Calls My Show

Last week, on my radio talk show, I received a call from Jeff, a 21-year-old in North Carolina. I have abridged it and edited it stylistically.

JEFF: I wanted to respond to your question about America being feared in the world. You brought up Syria. I think it’s a little naive, and maybe that’s not even the right word, to boil down such complex international issues into just good and bad. Like to say that America, for you, represents good. And to just boil down the Syria situation into good and bad is to underestimate the complexity of the situation. Because if the United States were to get involved there, you know, there might be consequences for us in that region that I think would be definitely more bad than good.

DP: Like what?

JEFF: If we were to depose Assad, there could be a power vacuum and that could create more problems than we intended.

DP: There are two separate questions here. One is: Should the United States be feared by bad regimes? The other is: What should the United States do? They’re not identical. So let’s deal with the first: Would you acknowledge that it would be good if countries like Putin’s Russia, Iran or North Korea — though I don’t compare Putin to North Korea — feared us? And do you think they do?

JEFF: I think that’s a really good question. If I had the answer to that I think I’d be secretary of state.

DP: It’s not that tough a question. What we should do is a tough question. But whether America should be feared by bad regimes is not a tough question.

Let me just throw in a tangential comment that I think is important: I presume you went to college.

JEFF: Oh, yeah.

DP: The reason I presume that you went to college is that you were taught — and this is no knock on you whatsoever since anyone who takes liberal arts courses, in political science in particular, is taught — what you just told me: You can’t divide between good and bad, because it’s too complex.

But that’s not accurate. There is a good and bad. Yes, sometimes there is bad and worse — in Syria today, for example. But between Syria and the United States the difference is between bad and good. Would you agree that it’s between bad and good between Syria and the United States?

JEFF: As an American, absolutely.

DP: Wait a minute. That’s a terrible answer. I don’t want you to answer me as an American. I want you to answer me as a moral human.

JEFF: I can only answer you as an American. I can’t answer you as anyone else.

DP: That’s not true. If I asked you how much two and two is, you wouldn’t answer me as an American.

JEFF: Here’s my only comment, I would just, you know, hesitate to boil down international issues of such complexity, with multiple variables, to, “It’s simply good or bad.” And that’s my only comment.

DP: Thank you for calling.

What Jeff said is what I was taught at college. It is heartbreaking to hear how effective left-wing college indoctrination continues to be, with its morally obfuscating concepts such as “too complex.”

The morally obvious fact is that the United States is overwhelmingly a force for good both in the world and within its borders, and Syria is overwhelmingly a force for evil both in the world and within its borders. Yet, colleges have taught for at least two generations that such judgments are illegitimate.

If you want to judge whether Sweden or Denmark is better, that’s complex. Or whether Iran or Syria is more evil. That, too, is complex. But between Denmark and Syria, there is no moral complexity.

The other revealing comment my caller made was that he could only say “as an American” that America was a better country than Syria.

This, too, reflects a fundamental left-wing doctrine taught at colleges — that there are no moral truths, and we can only subjectively observe the world as members of a group. There are, therefore, black truths, white truths, rich truths, poor truths, male truths, female truths. Accordingly, for example, since men do not get pregnant, they cannot morally judge abortion.

To Jeff’s credit, he listens to a radio show that so differs from what he was taught in college. There is therefore some hope that he will eventually realize how much nonsense he was taught at college. Dangerous nonsense.

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Teesside-born Hollywood star Jamie Bell splits from his wife

Jamie Bell, who first made his name as a youngster in Billy Elliot, and his wife Evan Rachel Wood have separated after less than two years of marriage

Teesside-born Hollywood star Jamie Bell has split from his wife, it has been revealed.

Jamie, who first made his name as a youngster in Billy Elliot, and his wife Evan Rachel Wood have separated after less than two years of marriage.

The Billingham-born star and his wife had their first baby together nine months ago - but they are keen to keep the separation amicable for his sake.

A spokesman for Jamie told the Mirror’s 3am: “Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell have decided to separate. They both love and respect one another and will of course remain committed to co-parenting their son.

“This is a mutual decision and the two remain close friends.”

Jamie first met Evan in 2005 on the set of Green Day’s video for Wake Me Up When September Ends.

The couple were so in love that they got tattoos of each other’s initials, but they split in 2006.

Evan went on to get engaged to rock star Marilyn Manson, but the pair reunited in 2011 and married last year.

Jamie has come a long way since his Billy Elliot days.

He has worked with directors including Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, mixing blockbusters such as The Fantastic Four and The Adventures of Tintin with more arty films.

He recently worked with acclaimed Danish director Lars von Trier on his latest film Nymphomaniac, a controversial depiction of a sex addict.

Jamie’s preparations for the film saw him doing some research for his character by visiting a sex shop in Los Angeles, and being given advice by people working in the sex industry.

Evan has appeared in The Wrestler, Thirteen and True Blood, and earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mildred Pierce.

Redcar Leisure and Community Heart roof springs a leak following torrential downpours

Work under way to fix a problem with the Redcar Leisure and Community Heart roof, which has let water in during periods of heavy rain

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Peter Reimann

Redcar Leisure and Community Heart opening event

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Redcar has a leaky Heart.

Recent torrential downpours have revealed an issue with the £31m Leisure and Community Heart’s roof.

As heavy rain rattled down, the new complex’s roof was breached and water spilled onto the sports courts.

Several five-a-side games had to be switched to other leisure centres, although only two have been cancelled outright.

But to try and ensure rain doesn’t keep stopping play, specialists are trying to solve the problem.

The leaky roof annoyed one Gazette reader, who remembered how the building the Heart replaces, the Redcar Leisure Centre on Majuba Road, was also prone to similar leaks.

He wrote: “Having had to put up with a leisure centre with a leaky roof for the last 10 years, the brand spanking new leisure centre, opened last month, is currently gushing water through the roof onto both courts, making them both unusable.

“When will the residents of Redcar ever get an indoor sports hall that doesn’t have to close when it starts raining?”

But the council insists it is working hard to plug the leak.

Councillor Olwyn Peters, the council’s Cabinet member for culture leisure and tourism, confirmed the roof had leaked following two incidences of heavy rainfall. Cllr Peters said: “There is an isolated issue with the building’s natural ventilation system and fixing it is not as straightforward as we hoped.

“Our construction partner, Willmott Dixon, assures us they are working with specialists to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

“Meanwhile the council’s leisure services provider, Everyone Active, will keep users informed and do their best to manage disruption.”

She said that so far, six five-a-side bookings had been transferred to alternative leisure centres, but two groups declined to switch and cancelled.

She added: “We would like to apologise to anyone who has been inconvenienced and thank them for their patience.”

Acklam Military Cross hero publishes book recounting dangerous Sierra Leone mission

Sergeant Steve Heaney's book, Operation Mayhem, documents one of the most highly-decorated missions in military history

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Sergeant Steve Heaney

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A Teesside hero has published his first book, recounting the daring rescue mission which earned him the Military Cross.

Sergeant Steve Heaney MC, of Acklam, Middlesbrough, was awarded the honour in 2001 for bravery under fire during a highly dangerous elite forces operation in Sierra Leone.

His new book, entitled Operation Mayhem, documents one of the most highly-decorated missions in military history.

Twenty-six operators from elite British military unit, X Platoon, more formally known as the Pathfinders, were airlifted into the heart of the Sierra Leone jungle in the midst of a bloody civil war in 2000, to be sent into combat against thousands of rebels.

Sergeant Heaney, 44, was honoured for his part in taking control on the mission.

Notorious for their brutality, the Revolutionary United Front rebels were manned with captured UN armour, machine-guns and grenade-launchers, while the men of X Platoon had no body armour, grenades or heavy weapons.

And intended to last only 48 hours, the mission turned into a 28-day siege.

Steve said: “The book’s taken, in all, about 18 months to put together.

“It tells the true story of that mission into Sierra Leone.

“This is the first account written of that mission.”

Steve, who joined the Parachute Regiment straight from leaving St David’s School, aged 16, tells of how the half-starved soldiers, surviving on bush tucker, fought with grenades made from old food-tins and defended themselves with barricades made of sharpened bamboo-sticks, given to them by local villagers.

He said: “Because the order to go from the UK came so quickly, we pretty much left with what we could carry. We didn’t have access to some of the heavier weapons we would have normally.

“It came down to ingenuity.

“We were acutely aware that we were outnumbered 80 to one.”

Despite going into the jungle on a rescue mission, what the platoon accomplished was to bring to an end the decade-long civil war.

Steve added: “We knew the rebels were going to come, it was just a matter of when, and they did.

“The primary focus was that British and entitled people were taken to safety.

“What subsequently happened was that the president came to us and said ‘I’m about to lose my entire country’, and it mutated into what it became.

“It was almost a secondary mission really.

“It was through the tenacity of our guys that the rebels withdrew.”

Steve, who now lives in the Middle East with his wife Lisa and two children, Maisie, seven, and five-year-old Miles, said he was pleased with how the book has turned out.

He is already in the process of writing a second, which will take the form of more of an autobiography, charting Steve’s childhood and background, as well as some of the other missions he’s been involved in over the years, including time spent in Kosovo and central America.

Operation Mayhem, published by Orion Books, is available in shops and from www.amazon.co.uk , including on Kindle, priced from £6.99 on Kindle and £9 in hardback.

Man walks free from court after being cleared of rape charges

Samuel Johnston acquitted after he denied forcing himself upon a woman following a night out in Stockton

A man accused of rape and sexual assault has been cleared of all the charges against him.

Samuel Johnston, 21, had denied forcing himself upon a woman following a night out in Stockton.

He said she did not protest, object or struggle when he had sex with her and he never felt he took advantage of the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons.

Mr Johnston, of Hillbrook Crescent, Ingleby Barwick, was on trial at Teesside Crown Court after pleading not guilty to two charges of rape and two of sexual assault.

The Crown’s case was that he had twice raped her, and sexually assaulted her, after he had gone to her home with a mutual acquaintance in the early hours of May 11 last year.

Prosecutor Rupert Doswell told the jury Mr Johnston pinned down the woman and forced himself on her, said no when she asked him to let her go and laughed when she indicated her discomfort.

But Mr Johnston denied this. He said he had sex with the woman but maintained it was consensual.

He told how he went to the woman’s home after drinking 10 pints of lager on a night out. He said they flirted and sat in an “intimate” position together.

He said he was “more than happy” to sleep on her settee, but she invited him into her bed. He told the jury: “She didn’t struggle. She didn’t protest in the slightest. We both knew what was going to happen.”

After the end of the prosecution case, with the jury out of court, the defence tried to have the case thrown out.

Barrister Nigel Soppitt argued that it was unsafe to leave the case to the jury, pointing to a lack of evidence.

Judge George Moorhouse said: “I think it’s a very weak case.”

But he ruled the trial would continue, adding: “I think the matter has to be resolved by the jury.”

Yesterday the jury took an hour to find him not guilty on all four charges.

He left court a free man and declined to comment afterwards.

Patrols to visit Hemlington to remove fly-tipped rubbish and check waste is being recycled

Middlesbrough Council staff check for fly-tipped rubbish, and bags left by the side of bins - and make sure residents are recycling

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Patrols target fly-tippers in Hemlington

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Families who leave rubbish by the side of their bins have been warned they could be fined if they continue.

Homeowners in Hemlington are being targeted in a crackdown on “flytipping” by Middlesbrough Council.

Weekly patrol squads will visit the area to check that residents are recycling waste, and removing fly-tipped rubbish.

Enforcement officers yesterday searched discarded rubbish bags to find evidence to identify who dumped it - joining refuse staff from the council and Erimus Housing, as well as local councillors, on patrol.

Householders not following the rules will be given advice or a warning letter.

But persistent offenders could be hit with a legal notice or end up in court facing a fine.

Councillor Tracy Harvey, the executive member for environment at Middlesbrough Council, said: “It is a pilot project to try and educate people - to not dump their rubbish, and to recycle.

“It will focus on ‘side waste’ – refuse left next to a bin because it won’t fit inside – as well as non-recyclable items being put into recycling bins and fly-tipping.

“All of these issues cause problems which are so easily avoidable – side waste can be avoided by simply contacting the council for an additional bin, for example.”

Cllr Harvey said she has seen a positive response from the majority of residents to the council’s recycling policy, which was brought in last August and sees weekly collections of general refuse and alternate weekly collections of recyclables and green waste.

Hemlington Ward Councillor Nicky Walker said: “We are targeting places that residents have been complaining about for 10 years. We are on Dallas Court today and that is somewhere that rubbish has been fly-tipped for a long time. It’s not a new thing and it’s nothing really to do with the new recycling system.”

One Dallas Court resident described the area as a “rubbish tip”, while enforcement officers rooted through bags looking for identification to track down the culprits.

Phil Armitage, an enforcement officer for Middlesbrough Council, said: “We have found letters with an address on, so we know where the rubbish is from and who is doing the dumping.

“We will help those residents who need it and give advice, but there are some persistent offenders - people we’ve been dealing with for five years or more - and they will face fines.”

The project was launched three weeks ago, and since then 129 bags of ‘side waste’ have been found at 33 different places.

The council’s enforcement team have also issued 21 warning letters and two legal notices.

If the patrols prove to reduce the amount of fly-tipping, side waste and increase recycling, the council will look to roll the scheme out into other areas of Middlesbrough.

Man holds rooftop protest for four hours above North Ormesby tanning shop

40-year-old came down of his own accord at around 2.30am and was arrested on suspicion of assault and public nuisance

A man who held a rooftop protest for almost four hours on the top of a tanning shop has been arrested.

The 40-year-old scaled the roof of shops on Kings Road, North Ormesby, at about 10.45pm on Wednesday night.

As he moved across buildings, police officers closed Kings Road.

The man came down of his own accord at around 2.30am and was arrested on suspicion of assault and public nuisance.

The alleged assault was in connection with an earlier domestic incident.

Cleveland Police said the man remained in custody on Thursday.

Scouting For Girls heading for Hardwick Live

Indie rockers Scouting For Girls to join Simple Minds at the two-day event in September

More acts have been added to the line up for this year’s Hardwick Live Garden Party.

Indie rockers Scouting For Girls will join Simple Minds on the new Friday night stage at the two-day event, due to take place in the grounds of Hardwick Hall near Sedgefield on September 12 and 13.

The four times Brit Awards nominees, best known for hits such as She’s So Lovely, Elvis Ain’t Dead, Heartbeat and This Ain’t a Love Song, have sold more than two million records and have had four top ten albums in the UK alone.

John Adamson, managing director of Ramside Estates, said: “Scouting for Girls are a brilliant addition to the Friday stage. We’re thrilled to have yet another band added to the line-up whose songs are so well known that the crowd will sing along with them, just like they did with Texas, Jools Holland and Alison Moyet last year.”

Sheffield band The Sherlocks have also been added to the Friday night line-up. The band have been snapped up by the management team behind The View, Babyshambles and Pete Doherty and have already supported platinum selling acts like The Enemy on tour.

Pop legends The Jacksons will headline the Saturday stage at Hardwick Live.

“The response to the line-up has been incredible. People are really excited to see such big names perform in the North-east, especially The Jacksons as it’s the only chance to see them in the UK this year,” added John.

“We’re really pleased with how well the tickets have been selling and we’re gearing up for another surge in demand following the Scouting for Girls announcement.”

Saturday’s performers also include Adam Ant, iconic rock band Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Hugh Cornwall of The Stranglers, Brit pop heroes Dodgy, soul singer Kenny Thomas, Teesside’s Cattle and Cane as well as London singer song-writer Emma Garrett.

*Tickets at http://ift.tt/RFYL8B or call 01740 620253.

Billingham cancer survivor Ryan, eight, helping fellow youngster to fight off disease

Ryan Savage didn't hesitate to try to help young Bradley Lowery, who at just three is fighting rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma

A tough eight-year-old who’s fought a brave battle against cancer since the age of three - and who wasn’t expected to live for more than two months - has helped organise a charity event for another youngster with the disease.

Ryan Savage, of Billingham, was only this year given the news that his residual tumours had gone, after undergoing years of treatment including chemotherapy and surgery.

And despite still often feeling tired himself, he didn’t hesitate to try to help young Bradley Lowery, who at just three - the same age Ryan was when first diagnosed - is fighting rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma.

Ryan, a pupil at Roseberry Primary School, with the help of his mum Lisa, has organised an American Wrestling event to be held this Friday.

Lisa, 32, who’s also mum to Sheila-Ann, 14, said: “Ryan’s a big wrestling fan, and a friend of mine had put me onto Bradley’s story.

“I was looking at Bradley’s page on Facebook when Ryan asked me what it was.

“He said ‘Bradley’s just a little boy like me and he must like wrestling like me’.

“He really wanted to do something to help, so we organised the event.”

Bradley’s family, including mum Gemma, of Blackhall, county Durham, are raising money in the event that their son needs treatment outside of the UK. They say they could need to raise more than £500,000 for treatment not available in this country, but that if he doesn’t need it, any funds will be donated to a child who does.

“We’ve had brilliant support with the event,” added Lisa, who’ll be taking part as a wrestler herself, as well as putting on her own display of fire-breathing during the fun-packed event.

“Lots of local businesses have donated prizes for our raffle, including jewellery, meals out, and ice skating for four at Billingham Forum.

“And Northfield School, which is where Sheila-Ann goes, gave us the use of their Sportsdrome.”

Gemma said: “It’s brilliant that people like Lisa and Ryan are getting behind our campaign. We’re really thankful and just taking each day at a time.”

The American Wrestling event will be held in Northfield School Sportsdrome, Thames Road, Billingham, with doors opening at 5.30pm.

Tickets, at £5 for adults and £4 for children, are available from Lisa on 07753 424 826, or on the door.

More names added to the Stockton Weekender line-up

A string of new names have been added to the bill for this year’s Stockton Weekender

FURTHER names have been added to the line-up for Stockton Weekender - which takes place on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27.

Former Seahorses frontman Chris Helme, Japanese multi-instrumentalist and artist ICHI, soul-fuelled cover band The Funk Collective, gypsy folk-rock quartet Holy Moly & The Crackers, psych laced blues heroes The Approved and Middlesbrough hip-hop duo Leddie and Smoggy are all heading for the event which boasts more than 40 artists over the two days.

Singer/songwriter Chris Helme first rose to prominence as the front man of John Squire’s post-Stone Roses outfit The Seahorses, whose hits included Love is The Law and Blinded By The Sun. His back catalogue is further bolstered by his acclaimed work with The Yards.

He’ll be taking to the Thirteen Stage on Saturday, July 26 with New Electric Ride, Lilliput, Weird Shapes, The Purnells, Goy Boy McIlroy and Silver Trees also performing on the stage.

ICHI, The Funk Collective, Holy Moly & The Crackers, The Approved and Leddie and Smoggy will join the eclectic mix in The Wunderbar Tent which will welcome an array of genres and talents.

Stockton Weekender’s ever expanding line-up, which spans four stages, includes Happy Mondays, Public Enemy, Shed Seven, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Reverend & The Makers, Peter Hook & The Light - and many more.

Tees Music Alliance’s Paul Burns - the festival director - said: “We’ve put together a fantastic line up – the likes of which has never been gathered before here on Teesside. We’re delighted with it and hope that people will be excited by it and, most importantly, come out to support and enjoy a top notch local event.”

The announcement comes as the second phase of ticket prices comes to an end, with prices rising on Sunday, June 1 from £30 a day, £45 weekend and £75 camping to £32.50, £50 and £80, respectively.

For Stockton borough residents prices will be sliced by 20%. Festivalgoers just need to provide their postcode when booking to access the offer, and bring proof of their address on the day.

TMA has also introduced the option to pay in instalments this year. Festivalgoers can reserve their tickets with a £10 deposit (per ticket) and then pay the rest off as they can, as long as it’s all paid for by July 25. This option is only available over the phone or in person and is subject to terms and conditions.

The event is also offering two free under-14 tickets for every adult ticket purchased.

*Visit http://ift.tt/1oXtmZt or call 01642 606525.

Boro to play Hartlepool United in pre-season friendly at Victoria Park

Boro will face Colin Cooper''s side on Wednesday, July 30 :: Tickets will cost £10 (adults) and £5 (concessions)

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Gallery: Hartlepool Utd 0 Boro 0 (July 20th 2013)

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Boro will play Hartlepool United in a pre-season friendly at Victoria Park.

The match against Colin Cooper’s side will take place on Wednesday, July 30 (7.30pm).

Tickets will cost £10 (adults) and £5 (concessions).

It will be the first time former Pools assistant manager Craig Hignett will visit The Vic in an official capacity since leaving the club to link up with Aitor Karanka at Boro in March.

The match is the first friendly to be announced by Boro.

The last time the clubs met was on Saturday, July 20, last year, when the teams played out a 0-0 draw in front of 2,307 fans.

Teesside University students preparing for MTV party of a lifetime

All 4,000 tickets sold for bash which was "pimped" by MTV after students won social media competition

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Lauren Close

Teesside University students in MTV competition win

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Imagine the party you could plan with £90,000.

Teesside University students will find out tomorrow when they get together at the union’s ‘Final Fling’ on Southfield Road in Middlesbrough.

All 4,000 tickets have been sold for the bash which was “pimped” by MTV after students raced to first place in a social media contest.

The £50,000 cash prize topped up the budget set aside by the union and has helped pay for acts including Neon Jungle, Shy FX and Tim Westwood.

Student union welfare officer James Carroll said there had been a “real buzz around campus”.

“Everyone’s been really excited,” the 21-year-old from Redcar said.

The party runs all day and night from 10am until 4am, with outdoor stages and fairground rides among the other attractions.

James said winning the MTV prize had been the “cherry on the cake”.

“It’s going to make a massive difference. There’s going to be a real community feel around campus.”

Students, staff and the wider Teesside public sent a massive two million tweets to come out on top and secure the cash.

TV crews will be filming throughout the day for a programme to be broadcast later.

The union encourages responsible drinking. Food and free water will be available at the area’s around the venue.

Canoe fraudster John Darwin ordered to pay £40,000 lump sum from pension

John Darwin, 63, of Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, did not challenge the application in a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Teesside Crown Court

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Terry Blackburn

Canoe fraudster John Darwin has been ordered by a court to pay a £40,000 lump sum over to the authorities after two pensions matured.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Teesside Crown Court heard he had so far only paid back £121 of the £679,073.62 he was found to have benefitted from after faking his own death.

Darwin, 63, of Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, did not challenge the application by the Crown to have the money removed from his bank accounts, which are the subject of restraints.

The pensions were understood to be legitimately earned from his time as a teacher and a prison officer. Although lawfully obtained, the Crown could still get hold of them, following the hearing.

After the verdict Tommy Maughan from the police's North East Regional Asset Recovery Team said: “I’m pleased with the outcome today; Mr. Darwin has now seen first-hand the full force of the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation in action.

“It’s a robust law that allows police and prosecutors to make sure those who have benefited from crime pay back what they owe until their debt is paid.

“The court assessed how much John Darwin benefited from crime some time ago, and today they have taken into account recently identified assets which the Judge has agreed can be confiscated. I would like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service for their assistance in bringing this application to court.

“His full benefit from crime has still not been paid off, and if he comes into any substantial assets in the future we will again consider asking the court to revisit the Confiscation Order granted against him in 2009.

“Criminals should be warned that even if assets are gained legitimately this legislation can be used and their crimes may just come back to haunt them.”After the

Jolyon Perks, who prosecuted, said this was not the end of the matter for Darwin, and should he come into more money in the future, further applications to take back the cash would be made.

He told reporters: "We believe it sends a strong signal to those who seek to benefit from their criminal conduct that these orders have teeth.

"They will be pursued and they will be rigorously enforced.

"The Proceeds of Crime Act is intended to be draconian."

Darwin did not comment as he left court.

It was the same venue where he was jailed with his wife Anne in 2008 for fraud.

Anne Darwin, now split from her husband, has repaid more than £500,000 under a separate Proceeds of Crime order after selling properties held in her name. She still has around £177,000 outstanding to pay back.

John Darwin was reported missing in a canoe in the North Sea in March 2002.

His wife collected more than £500,000 in life insurance payouts, while he hid in their home, leaving their two sons to believe he was dead.

In December 2007, Darwin walked into a London police station, claiming he had amnesia, and was reunited with his sons who were stunned to hear he was alive.

His wife, who had fled with him to Panama, pretended to be shocked until a photograph emerged of them posing together after his supposed death.

She was later jailed for six-and-a-half years for fraud and money-laundering.

Outside court Detective Sergeant Tommy Maughan from the North East Regional Asset Recovery Team said: "I'm pleased with the outcome today; Mr Darwin has now seen first-hand the full force of the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation in action.

"It's a robust law that allows police and prosecutors to make sure those who have benefited from crime pay back what they owe until their debt is paid.

"The court assessed how much John Darwin benefited from crime some time ago, and today they have taken into account recently identified assets which the Judge has agreed can be confiscated. I would like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service for their assistance in bringing this application to court.

"His full benefit from crime has still not been paid off, and if he comes into any substantial assets in the future we will again consider asking the court to revisit the Confiscation Order granted against him in 2009.

"Criminals should be warned that even if assets are gained legitimately this legislation can be used and their crimes may just come back to haunt them."

Redcar Bears meeting with Berwick Bandits called off

The scheduled Premier League match between Redcar Bears and Berwick Bandits has been postponed due to recent heavy rain

Tonight's scheduled Premier League match between Redcar Bears and Berwick Bandits has been postponed.

Yesterday’s heavy rain left the track in an unrideable state and, despite the track staff’s best efforts this morning, it soon became obvious they would not be able to get it ready in time for this evening’s match.

No restaging date has yet to be set, although one possibility is next Thursday when the Ecco Finishing Bears are without a meeting.

That would mean switching the date of the planned race night for world champion Tai Woffinden’s Great Ormond Street Hospital appeal, possibly to next Wednesday, although nothing has yet been agreed. Details will be announced once they have been confirmed.

“Yesterday’s rain absolutely murdered the track,” said Bears promoter Brian Havelock.

“The start and finish line is like a quagmire and turns three and four are really bad too.

“We thought we would have enough time to get things right but it soon became clear we wouldn’t. We brought the tractor out and it was just getting stuck.”

The Bears are next in action on Saturday when they visit Workington Comets.

30 percent of Modi’s ministers have declared criminal cases

New Delhi : Thirty percent of ministers in the Narendra Modi government have declared criminal cases against themselves and 18 percent have declared “serious criminal cases”, according to an analysis of their election affidavits.

National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analysed affidavits of 44 of the 46 members in the union council of ministers that was sworn in Monday, said in a release that 91 percent of the new ministers were “crorepatis” (multi-millionaires).

It said NEW and ADR had written to Modi May 20 about the “disturbing fact that the newly formed Lok Sabha has a sizeable number of members (112 or 21 percent) facing serious criminal charges”.

The two grops also requested Modi to include only clean representatives in his cabinet.

The release said Modi had committed to critically examine MPs with self-declared criminal cases and fast-tracking cases against them during his campaign speeches.

It said that of the 44 ministers analysed, 13 (30 percent) had declared criminal cases against themselves.

“Eight (18 percent) ministers have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to attempt to murder, communal disharmony, kidnapping, electoral violations etc.,” the release said.

Uma Bharti declared a case related to attempt to murder, and a case related to sections on promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.

She also declared a case related to illegal payments in connection with an election.

Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, and Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party have each declared a case related to bribery, the release said.

Gopinath Munde declared a case related to kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person.

The release said details of Prakash Javadekar and Nirmala Sitharaman were not analysed as they were not members of either house at present.

It said that of 44 ministers analysed, 40 (91 percent) were “crorepatis”.

“The average assets per minister is Rs.13.47 crore. Five ministers declared more than Rs.30 crore worth of assets,” it said.

Arun Jaitley declared total assets worth Rs.113 crore and Harsimrat Kaur Badal Rs.108 crore. The other ministers with assets above Rs.30 crore include Munde, Maneka Gandhi and Piyush Goyal.

Dream Home: £499,000 Stable House in Guisborough with own clock tower

The Grade II listed Stable House sits on the edge of the woods and countryside at Pease Court and dates back to 1865

This week’s Dream Home gallops ahead in the luxury home stakes.

For as its very name suggests, it was once part of the stable buildings connected to a neighbouring country house until its conversion into a bespoke place to live.

And Stable House has much to boast of - including a clock tower of its very own as well as spacious rooms peppered with character features and charm.

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Dream Home: Stable House, Guisborough

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Home to its current owners for the past 11 years, they have loved living in is peaceful setting on the edge of the woods and National Park countryside at Pease Court, Guisborough.

“Stable House was built as part of Hutton Hall estate by the Pease family, it dates back to around 1865,” explains the owner, of her Grade II listed property.

“It is a Victorian property - this house used to be the stable manager’s house and was attached to the stables which were part of the outbuildings of the original hall.

“There’s a big clock tower above the fifth bedroom and the archway. The kitchen was part of the stable block and has the original doorway.”

There are, she says, 10 properties on Pease Court all of which were converted from buildings connected to the hall. They moved in to Stable House in 2003 and it was its location that caught their eye - countryside on the doorstep but close to the market town centre of Guisborough.

Since moving in, she adds, they have put in a new kitchen and added fireplaces as well as installing touches like a roll top bath to the family bathroom to add to the character of the house.

“It is a lovely and peaceful house,” explains the owner.

“And very relaxing, there’s lots of space.”

Windows on two sides in some of the rooms ensure the house is light filled, too, she said.

Inside there are five bedrooms, three reception rooms, a bespoke kitchen and luxury bathrooms.

The living room is 18ft by 11ft and features in here come in the shape of dual aspect sash windows, solid oak flooring and a cast iron fireplace with a slate hearth.

There’s another feature fireplace in the dining room and a third reception room in the shape of a sitting room.

The 18ft by 18ft breakfast kitchen comes next - bespoke and handmade, it is hand painted in French grey and is fitted with a range of units, a feature chimney and island unit and granite worktops. One of the owner’s favourite rooms in the house, there’s a Belfast style sink and space for a range style oven as well as built in appliances in the shape of a dishwasher, fridge and freezer with ice maker.

Underfloor heating keeps the limestone tiled floor warm.

The kitchen also features large doors with an original carved oak beam and sandstone mullions.

Upstairs, you’ll find five bedrooms and the luxurious family bathroom with its free standing roll top bath.

The 18ft by 18ft master bedroom has exposed beams and trusses and an en suite shower room, there’s an en suite to bedroom two too.

Outside, the house has a secluded walled courtyard garden as well as another courtyard that is open plan and accessed via wrought iron gates.

There’s a driveway and garage too.

Plans for relocation due to work mean the owners have decided to put their property on to the market.

Stable House is for sale for offers over £499,000. For more information, contact the Stokesley office of estate agent GSC Grays on 01642 710742.

More Dream Homes

Space and charm at £635,000 five-bedroom executive style Wynyard home

£895,000 Guisborough home full of charm and acre of own gardens

Delightful spaces inside and out at £825,000 five bedroom Stokesley house

Stylish £595,000 Folly with feel for family living in Hutton Rudby

Charm in abundance at quirky barn conversion in village of Potto

Games room, gym and sauna at five-bedroom £649,995 Wynyard house

All about the views at £649,950 five-bedroom Kirklevington house

£600k five-bed Nunthorpe property was once a school

Tributes paid after death of Redcar Gymnastics Club founder Jack Grey

Jack Grey founded Redcar Gymnastics Club in 1966 with wife Hazel and went on to inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of gymnasts

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Tributes have been paid after the death of a Teesside sporting stalwart who inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of gymnasts.

When Jack Grey founded Redcar Gymnastics Club in 1966 with wife Hazel, little did he realise how much it would flourish over the next five decades.

But it proved a springboard to enjoyment and success for many young gymnasts - including Redcar schoolgirl Lisa Grayson, who became British champion and was team reserve for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Jack and Hazel, who died in 2007, founded the club - originally called the Redcar School of Gymnastics - after their daughter Karen took up the sport.

Initially based at Redcar’s Rye Hills School, Coatham Memorial Hall and even, at one stage, in an old terraced house, growing numbers saw it relocate in 1984 to its current home at 3, Kirkleatham Street.

And all the while, Jack was overseeing operations and even continued coaching until he was 70. He was subsequently made life president.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, as in August 1989, a devastating fire threatened the club’s entire future.

But Jack - then the chief coach - wasn’t going to let his club die. A huge fundraising appeal was launched and by 1990, it had risen from the ashes so its members could resume leaping, jumping and tumbling once more.

Announcing the news of Jack’s death, aged 85, club officials today described Jack - the Evening Gazette Community Champion for Sport in 2001 - as “the prime mover in the founding of Redcar Gymnastics Club over 40 years ago.”

A club statement said: “A strong leader and inspirational coach, Jack devoted his life to the sport, the club and to his family. Jack will be greatly missed throughout the gymnastics family.”

Club chairman Steve Hall told the Gazette: “Jack really was the driving force behind creating the club and driving it forward until as recently as the last 10 years.

“He was an inspirational coach who became a force in gymnastics across the northern region and received many awards recognising this contribution. Even after he retired from active coaching, he carried on as life president and still took an active interest in developing the club, its coaches and its gymnasts.”

OAP who molested two boys has sentence delayed again after challenge over 'high risk' assessment

David Massingham, 77, destroyed the life of one of his two victims by abusing him as a child, a court heard

A 77-year-old man facing detention in a mental hospital after he molested two young boys has seen his sentencing postponed yet again.

David Massingham, who has dementia, could be given a hospital order under the Mental Health Act.

A probation officer said the pensioner posed a high risk to children, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

That assessment was challenged by Massingham’s barrister.

So the sentencing hearing - already delayed for months - was put off again.

Massingham, of Kendal Court, Middlesbrough, interfered with two underage boys more than 30 years ago.

One of the boys reported the matter to the police as an adult in 2011.

Massingham was deemed unfit to stand trial because of his dementia.

A jury decided he did commit the acts alleged in 12 charges - 10 of indecent assault and two other serious sexual offences.

He denied any sexual assaults or abuse against the boys.

The probation officer’s pre-sentence report said he did not accept committing the acts.

It stated he posed “an ongoing high risk of causing serious harm to children, particularly young boys”, said prosecutor Adrian Dent.

He read a statement from one of the victims, saying: “David Massingham has totally destroyed my life and my family’s life.

“I believe that he targeted me and... gave me treats which was part of his grooming process.”

The man said his marriage broke down, he fought when people touched him, he couldn’t sleep and, when he did, woke in cold sweats.

He is undergoing counselling but said the abuse would affect him for the rest of his life.

Three psychiatrists gave recommendations for Massingham’s sentence.

Dr Pratish Thakkar suggested a hospital order with a restriction order.

This would mean Massingham would not be released without the agreement of the Secretary of State for Justice or an independent tribunal.

Giving evidence, Dr Thakkar said Massingham was “in denial” about the sexual acts.

He said he initially thought Massingham could be given a supervision order in the community.

He changed his mind after detailed discussion with the probation officer.

Defence barrister Brian Russell said a hospital order was unnecessary if, as he asserted, there had been no sexual misconduct in the decades since the offences.

He said the critical part of the case was whether Massingham posed a “significant serious risk”.

He said the court needed to get the bottom of the probation officer’s assessment.

He criticised the report’s conclusions as “very unfair” and “made on very flimsy grounds”.

The author of the pre-sentence report was on annual leave, the court was told.

Judge George Moorhouse adjourned sentencing until June 10 for the probation officer to attend court.

Until then he bailed Massingham, who is on the sex offenders’ register and under supervision by Cleveland Police’s public protection unit.

As the hearing ended, a woman left the public gallery saying: “Youse are sick. Sick.”

Unique art deco building in Eaglescliffe to be demolished to make way for flats

Stockton Council's planning committee has given the green light to replace The Rookery in Eaglescliffe with 14 apartments

A unique but decaying art deco building in Eaglescliffe is to be demolished to make way for two blocks of flats.

Stockton Council's planning committee has given the green light for the 14-apartment development on South View despite 25 objections.

Eaglescliffe Lib Dem councillor Alan Lewis said The Rookery, built in the 1930s, was “probably the most iconic building in Eaglescliffe”.

“It’s a great shame it has to come down but we are told it’s beyond repair,” he said.

But Cllr Lewis said if there had to be a development on the site he would like to see a “completely different design” than the one submitted.

The apartments will be spilt across two blocks, the larger containing nine apartments and a second smaller building to the rear with five units.

The scale of the buildings will be predominately two storey, rising to a maximum of three storeys, with the third storey ‘tiered’ on both buildings.

Conservative councillor for Eaglescliffe Phillip Dennis said the new building “will become a carbuncle” on the surrounding area.

Chair of the planning committee, Bob Gibson, Labour, said The Rookery was once a “beautiful building - many many moons ago.” But he added: “At the moment it is beyond redemption.”

Fellow Labour Councillor David Rose said it was “a shame” The Rookery had to be demolished, but added the development was an opportunity to build a place for more people to live in Eaglescliffe.

The new application was the latest twist in the long-running saga over The Rookery .

A number of planning applications have been submitted over the years. Permission was granted for 13 apartments in two blocks on the site in 2009. Then in 2011 the green light was given to demolish the building to make way for three detached houses.

Attempts were made to get The Rookery listed in 2004, but English Heritage did not think the building was important enough.

Boro winger Albert Adomah sweating on Ghana World Cup spot

Ghana head coach James Kwesi Appiah is torn between Albert Adomah and Kuban Krasnodar player Rabiu Mohammed

Albert Adomah is involved in a straight fight with Rabiu Mohammed for a place in the Black Stars World Cup squad, according to reports coming out of Ghana.

Head coach James Kwesi Appiah is torn between playing things safe and selecting defensive midfielder Mohammed or taking the attacking option and choosing the Boro winger, who topped the club’s goal-scoring chart last season.

Both are members of a 26-man Ghana squad which will be whittled down to a final 23 in the next day or two.

What complicates matters is the fact that Mohammed, who plays his club football in Russia for Kuban Krasnodar, isn’t 100% fit and Appiah is reluctant to gamble on his availability so close to the World Cup, which gets underway in Brazil in just two weeks’ time.

The Black Stars, currently based in Holland, played a warm-up match in Ghana against a select XI last weekend, winning 6-1, and are next in action against the Dutch in a friendly on Saturday in Rotterdam.

Appiah admits it’s proving difficult to narrow down his squad.

“The team has responded well in this few days of training in Ghana,” he told Africanfootball.com

“Everybody is looking focused and giving his best to make the team.

“But it’s the kind of headache every coach wants, it would not be easy cutting it down but unfortunately at some point in time it will have to be done.”

Ghana face a tough task to progress to the knockout stages in Brazil.

Their group also includes Germany, Portugal and USA.

Hemlington dad hoping 'at work selfies' idea can raise cash for charity close to his heart

Neville Sanderson hopes other families will benefit from an all-expenses paid trip abroad thanks to his fundraising for Saras Hope

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Ian McIntyre

Neville and George Sanderson

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The father of a youngster who overcame kidney cancer is hoping to start a selfie-taking frenzy to raise cash for a charity close to their heart.

“Cheeky” George Sanderson, now three, was diagnosed with kidney cancer at just nine months old. After gruelling courses of chemotherapy, operations and radiotherapy for his Wilms Tumour - a condition only 70 children develop in the UK every year - the Hemlington tot was given all-clear in December 2011, eight months after the start of the family’s ordeal.

Once little George was on the road to recovery, he and his family were whisked off to Crete on an all-expenses holiday courtesy of North-east charity Saras Hope - which gives children in remission from cancer the opportunity to travel to a holiday retreat.

Now George’s dad Neville Sanderson - Teesside ambassador for the charity - is hoping to raise cash with “at work selfies” in the same way other selfie campaigns have been a runaway hit for fundraisers.

That would help other families in a similar situation to go on all-expenses paid holidays as well.

Neville, 39 who went to Crete with George, partner Laura Carruthers. 33, a Government officer, and daughter, Libby, seven, said: “It was amazing.

“It was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Neville - who in the last year has raised almost £20,000 for through charity through sponsored walks and other fundraisers - says the families who go can be as active or relaxed as they wish.

He said: “On the first day the kids can go to a local pizza place to make their own pizza.

“But there is no pressure - you can sit around all week if you want.

“You don’t have to worry about spending money.”

The dad of two, who works as a boiler maker at SSI, is now asking people to take an “at work selfie” and donate to the charity by visiting his Facebook page.

He said: “I’d seen the success of the no make-up selfie and a friend sent me a selfie of him at work. That’s what gave me the idea.”

Neville says that George is now a “cheeky and mischievous” soon-to-be four-year-old with fantastic prospects for the future.

He said: “He’s just at it all the time! Never gives up.

“Nothing will hold him back - he’ll do sports days and things like everyone else.

“You never say cancer free, but he has no been in remission since December 2011.

“Other than his scars he will live a normal life with one kidney.”

To post your “at work selfie” and find out how to donate to Saras Hope visit http://ift.tt/1pAgvhG .

Morning news headlines for Thursday - Clegg faces leadership questions, two-day vigil for heroic Stephen Sutton

The latest news from around the globe

CLEGG FACES LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS

Nick Clegg is set to face further awkward questions over his leadership of the Liberal Democrats despite seeing off what was widely seen as a coup attempt from within his own party.

The Deputy Prime Minister has endured a bruising week after disastrous local and European election results.

The resignation from the Lib Dems of long-time critic Lord Oakeshott appears to have seen off a leadership challenge although the peer could not resist a parting shot at “disastrous” Mr Clegg.

FUNDRAISER PUTS THE FUN IN FUNERAL

The mother of an inspirational teenage cancer victim who raised almost £4 million for charity has called on well-wishers to “do something to make others happy” in his memory.

A two-day vigil for 19-year-old Stephen Sutton who succumbed to multiple tumours earlier this month is due to start today.

Mr Sutton’s bravery in facing his terminal illness while urging people to enjoy life has now become a global phenomenon reaching more than five million people worldwide, according to one social media website.

CANOE FRAUDSTER BACK IN COURT

Canoe fraudster John Darwin will be back before the courts today after it emerged he had repaid just £122 of the hundreds of thousands he conned out of insurance companies by faking his own death.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Teesside Crown Court will decide how much more the 63-year-old must hand back now that a pension has matured.

It was the same court where the ex-teacher and former prison officer was jailed with his wife Anne in 2008 for fraud.

WILLIAM AND KATE OFFERED A DRAM

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will tour a whisky distillery on a visit to Scotland today.

William and Kate will be given the chance to bottle their own Glenturret malt at the country’s oldest distillery, near Crieff in Perthshire.

It is the couple’s first joint engagement since returning from a tour of Australia and New Zealand last month.

JUDGMENT DUE IN POLICE MURDER CASE

Two dissident republicans found guilty of murdering a policeman in Northern Ireland will today hear judgment in the appeal against their convictions.

Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead by the Continuity IRA in Craigavon, County Armagh, in March 2009.

Three years later Brendan McConville, 43, and John Paul Wootton, 23, were found guilty at Belfast Crown Court of murdering the 48-year-old officer from Banbridge, Co Down.

MOTHER ’RISKS DEATH’ IF DEPORTED

A Christian mother battling deportation risks being killed if she is forced to return to her native Nigeria, campaigners have warned.

The stark warning came as Afusat Saliu, 31, was taken into custody by UK Border Agency staff yesterday, and she has been told she will be flown back to the African country tonight.

Ms Saliu fled to the UK in 2011 while she was heavily pregnant after her stepmother threatened to subject her daughter Bassy, now four, to female genital mutilation (FGM). Her second daughter, Rashidat, two, was born in London.

COLLEGE FUNDING A ’DISASTROUS MESS’

Funding for colleges and universities should be a big issue at the general election because it has become a “disastrous mess”, according to a union leader.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, will also claim that the “bundled” £9,000 a year tuition fees risked costing the public more than the previous system.

She will tell her union’s annual conference in Manchester that the coalition’s record on education is “lamentable”.

A QUARTER OF UK ADULTS ’ARE OBESE’

More girls under 20 are overweight or obese in the UK than anywhere else in western Europe, alarming new research has shown.

In this age group, 29.2% of the British population are excessively heavy. Just over 8% of the girls meet the clinical definition of obesity, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above.

Of the 22 western European countries studied, only Greece is on a par with the UK as far as girls aged 20 and younger are concerned, with a 0.1% lower prevalence.

NSA LEAKER SNOWDEN WANTS TO GO HOME

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has claimed he worked undercover for the CIA, and said that he would like to return to the US.

He said in a television interview he had been “trained as a spy” and that he never intended to live in Russia.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry called him a fugitive and challenged him to “man up and come back to the United States”.

Boro monitoring situation as former loan target Kevin Doyle admits to uncertain future

Wolves want to sell Kevin Doyle and are open to offers for a player who has a year left on his current contract

Kevin Doyle, a January loan target for Boro, admits he’d relish the opportunity to play in the Premier League for QPR.

The Ireland striker was in the Rangers line-up in Saturday’s Championship play-off final against Derby County at Wembley, a game the London side won thanks to a late Bobby Zamora goal.

By then, Doyle was back on the subs’ bench having been withdrawn in the 57th minute and it remains to be seen whether or not he’s pulled on a QPR shirt for the last time. He joined Rangers on loan from Wolves in January.

Boro had made an approach for the experienced front man and were chasing Danny Graham at the same time.

It’s believed Graham - who did eventually join on loan - was Boro’s first choice at the time but now that he’s returned to parent club Sunderland, Aitor Karanka is assessing his options.

Wolves want to sell Doyle and are open to offers for a player who has a year left on his current contract,

Boro will be monitoring the situation, though it’s not clear how high up their shortlist of strikers the 30-year-old Irishman is.

The fact that Rangers are now a Premier League side means they will be the most attractive destination for Doyle.

However, Loic Remy has returned to Loftus Road from his loan stint with Newcastle and manager Harry Redknapp will have to decide whether to try and integrate the talented Frenchman into his team.

Doyle’s loan spell with QPR wasn’t an unqualified success. He scored just two goals during a stay that was interrupted by a knee injury.

The player admits his future is up in the air at the moment.

“It would be very attractive to play for QPR in the Premier League,” he said.

“But there are lots of ifs, buts and maybes and a lot of scenarios.

“Come July it will be the usual merry-go-round. I have to go back to Wolves and see where I stand.”

Doyle, meanwhile, has linked up with the Ireland squad, who are preparing for friendlies against Italy, Portugal and Cost Rica.

Ben Gibson and his England Under-20 colleagues endured a frustrating night against Korea in the Toulon Tournament. 1-0 up after three minutes thanks to Cauley Woodrow they could not produce the goal rout many commentators had expected and had to settle for a draw after South Korea equalised in the 55th minute.

'I don't know you who are but I love you': Stockton coma man's confession... to his girlfriend

Stewart Fryett from Fairfield has told of his remarkable recovery after a horror car accident in Ingleby Barwick left him in a coma for ten days

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Ian McIntyre

Stewart and Chrissie Fryett

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He was left unconscious with a severe brain injury, broken ribs, collapsed lungs and a shattered spine.

His family and girlfriend were told he wasn’t going to make it.

But on waking up from a 10-day coma and seeing his girlfriend, Stewart Fryett said: “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know your name - but I know I love you.”

Stewart, 39, and Chrissie Fryett, 32, are now married, living in Fairfield, Stockton, and expecting their first child in July this year.

But it has taken five years of painful recovery and legal battles for the couple to finally begin enjoying life.

It was on June 13 2009 that the dad-of-five was at a family barbecue at the house of then girlfriend, Chrissie.

Stewart, dad to Leah, 19, Andrew, 18, Jessica, 16, Abbie, 13, and Mackenzie, eight, said: “We had only been seeing each other for six months.

“I was at Chrissie’s house with her stepfather and mum and a family friend, Ian, had come round to see us.”

Stewart and friend Jason Dale went for a drive in 50-year-old Ian Burton’s new Ford Focus RS at 9.15pm.

Just 200 yards down the road, Ian lost control of his car and collided with a BMW as it turned a corner on Beckfields Avenue, in Ingleby Barwick.

Ian got out and immediately called the emergency services while Jason, unable to open the damaged passenger door, climbed into the driver’s seat and out of the driver side door.

Stewart, however had suffered a severe brain injury and was trapped in the back seat, unconscious.

Chrissie said: “We got a phone call from Ian saying they had been in an accident, we thought he was joking because they had only been gone a few minutes.”

Chrissie arrived to see firefighters cut Stewart free and then take him to James Cook University Hospital.

The 72-year-old driver of the other car involved was also taken to hospital suffering from chest and neck pains.

Chrissie said: “He was in a coma for 10 days. We were all told he wasn’t going to make it.

“When he came round he couldn’t lift his head up and he just talked gobbledygook.

“When he came out of it he still didn’t know who anyone was, but when he saw me he said, ‘I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what your name is but I know I love you.’”

He was finally discharged from hospital on September 23, 2009.

Stewart was now severely disabled and required a high level of care and assistance which was provided by friends and family.

But a new nightmare was just beginning.

Despite Burton admitting that he was the driver, witnesses who saw Jason exit the driver-side door told police Jason had been the driver.

Although Stewart was an innocent passenger, if a court found he had got into a car with a drink-driver there would have been a significant reduction to any payment he could receive.

Fortunately, shortly before the trial, the CPS discovered Ian’s 999 call recording, dropped the charges against Jason and accepted Burton’s guilty plea.

But it was a further six months before the insurers admitted liability in for Stewart’s claim.

Stewart said: “I want to thank Macks Solicitors for everything they did, they really looked after us and made sure we had everything we needed.

“Because of my memory problems I would call our solicitor Frank up about five times a day - he always had time for me.”

The settlement was finally approved on February 21, 2014.

Stewart married Chrissie in September 2013 and she is currently expecting their first child in July.

Criminal with over 120 offences jailed after stealing car from staff member at Low Grange Health Village

Stephen Anthony Carter, 34, was locked up after moaning from the dock that he was being 'set up to fail' following the 'instinct' crime

A prolific criminal with more than 120 offences on his record has been locked up - despite moaning to a judge in the courtroom.

Stephen Anthony Carter, 34, whinged from the dock: “I’m getting set up to fail.”

Judge John Walford said Carter committed crime by “instinct”, turned his back on help and did “little or nothing” to change his ways.

Carter - whose criminal record started when he was just 12 - was sentenced for his latest offences at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

He loitered in the Low Grange Health Village, Normanby Road, South Bank then jumped over the reception counter on April 25.

The banned motorist stole a member of staff’s car keys from his jacket pocket, drove off in the stolen £7,000 Vauxhall Insignia and abandoned the car.

It was not found.

When arrested he said he was sorry and wouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t “off his head on tablets”.

Carter, of Premier Road, Middlesbrough, admitted theft, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He committed the crimes less than two months after he was released from prison and a month after he was given a suspended jail term.

The court heard of his previous 123 offences including burglaries and taking cars.

He was jailed for six years in November 2004 after he slashed a man’s cheek with a carpet knife and caused a pile-up in a police chase.

Julian Gaskin, defending, said Carter asked for an alternative to prison: “He tells me he can’t carry on like this. He needs help. He wants himself free of his drug problems.”

He said Carter acted out of stupidity and drugs after slipping back into drug use with peer pressure.

Judge Walford said: “It just seems to be an utterly senseless thing to do, almost crime for the sake of crime.”

He told Carter it was up to him to stop taking drugs and breaking the law, and it didn’t matter what help he got if he didn’t want to.

He said prison sentences had not stopped him offending or taking drugs.

He said Carter had offended constantly and ignored chances in the past, and he had “no confidence” Carter would take advantage if given another opportunity.

He told Carter: “It would, it seems to me, be an affront to your victim and to others who you’ve harmed if I was to give you a chance.”

He jailed Carter for 19 months and 10 weeks, with a one-year driving ban.

MBA student arrested for MMS against Modi

The Central Crime Branch arrested an MBA student from Bhatkal on charges of circulating derogatory MMS against Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi.

The accused Syed Waqas (24), who had come to the city a few days ago and was pursuing internship in a private company here, was picked up along with four of his friends from a rented house at Vasanthnagar here on Saturday. While the four others identified as Osama Alamgar, Rahmathulla, Saad Kola and Mushahid, who are pursuing MBA and chartered accountancy courses, were released on Sunday after questioning, Waqas was arrested under the IT Act, a senior police officer said.

The arrest was based on a complaint filed by social activist Jayant Tinekar with the Belgaum police about an MMS he received on his mobile on May 16 with a derogatory message .

Suspecting that it could be an act of terror, Mr. Tinekar filed a complaint seeking a detailed investigation.

The Belgaum police, who found the mobile number in the name of Waqas from Bhatkal, traced its location to Bangalore and alerted the CCB.

Considering it as a sensitive case, the CCB and a team of police officials from Belgaum swung into action and arrested Waqas, who had come to the city a few days ago to do his internship as part of his academic requirements.

Waqas was taken to Belgaum for further investigation, the police said.

“We are investigating to ascertain the purpose of his circulating the message,” a senior police officer said.

Redcar Bears boss is braced for a tougher test from Berwick Bandits

After a 49-40 victory over the Bandits a fortnight ago, Bears team manager Jitendra Duffill is expecting a tougher test this time round

Redcar Bears chase their second home win over Berwick Bandits in a fortnight tonight.

But Ecco Finishing Bears team manager Jitendra Duffill concedes it’s going to be a whole lot tougher this time around.

Duffill’s men beat the Bandits 49-40 in the second leg of the Tees Tweed Trophy at South Tees Motorsports Park a fortnight ago.

Tonight when they meet (7.30pm start) Premier League points will be up for grabs and the visitors will be feeling rather more optimistic.

Fresh from a stunning 49-41 away win over Workington at the weekend, they’ll be at full strength for their visit to Teesside.

Last time they had to make do without the in-form Claus Vissing who had received a late call-up to ride in the Danish Championship, and his availability makes them looks stonger than on their last visit.

And they face a Bears side whose line-up is reshuffled due to the publication of the new averages.

Jan Graversen, who has enjoyed a fine spell of form since returning to the club, moves up into the main body of the team with Rafal Konopka going the other way.

That means Duffill can no longer offer Graversen extra rides while Konopka and Luke Crang - fit again after being taken to hospital with a shoulder injury during last week’s 50-40 home defeat by Ipswich - make up an inexperienced reserve pairing.

It is believed that the Bears management looked at making team changes over the past week but were unable to do so.

“Having Rafal and Luke at reserve weakens us a bit,” said Duffill, “and it puts extra pressure on the top five to perform.

“Jan struggled last week but his No 1 engine was away and everyone has an off night - he’s been a rock for us this year and I have no doubts he can do a good job in the main body of the team.

“But it means we don’t have a lot of experience at reserve and when you have an inexperienced rider in the side you know they are going to have some lean nights as well as nights when they score a few points.

“Berwick’s tails will be up after winning at Workington.

“I don’t think too many people would have predicted that one, so they’ll be coming here believing they can win.

“They’ve got Claus Vissing this time who is riding like a No 1 and they’ve got a very strong reserve in Steen Jensen.

“So there’s no doubt it’s going to be a tough one for us - we’re going to need everyone to play their part.”

BEARS: Luke Crang, Jan Graversen, Rafal Konopka, Richard Lawson, Hugh Skidmore, Aaron Summers, Carl Wilkinson.

BANDITS: David Bellego, Liam Carr, Kevin Doolan, Steen Jensen, Matej Kus, Claus Vissing, Matty Wethers.

WITH no meeting next Thursday, the Bears stage a race night in the Bears Bar at STMP in aid of Tai Woffinden’s Great Ormond Street Hospital appeal.