Innovation

"When you do come to realise that there's something wrong with your bike, it is going to be too late because we are talking about a very, very fast-developing fire that you will have not a chance to get past," says a sister in mourning.

Ehsia Johnson-Mall still struggles to come to terms with the loss of her sister, Natasha, at the age of 27 in November.

Natasha, along with her partner, 24-year-old Karlo Bogdan, died at the home they shared in Coventry after a battery Karlo had fitted to an e-bike caught fire.

Now, Ms Johnson-Mall is trying to raise awareness of the dangers of using home conversion kits to replace e-bike batteries.

The deaths of the couple were ruled as accidental at an inquest in February.

An investigation by West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) said the blaze started when the battery ignited and "rapidly escalated into an intense blaze".

It said that over the past two years it had seen a 50% increase in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are often found on e-bikes.

WMFS said it was concerned that people underestimated the dangers posed, especially if the batteries degrade.

"The battery that we believe Karlo had purchased was actually subject to a product recall before he'd actually purchased it due to… other fires that have happened nationally," said fire investigation officer Annette Carrington. "It's obvious that this risk was unknown to Karlo."

It is thought that nationally, 15 people have died in fires caused by e-bike batteries.

Ms Johnson-Mall believes the night the fire that killed her sister broke out was the first night the bike was left charging in the hall – and is determined to make people aware of the risks.

"I know Karlo would be absolutely devastated at himself," she said. "Knowing that he had an item that was his possession that had caused this fatality."

A memorial bench has been placed outside Natasha and Karlo's home, but Ms Johnson-Mall wants her sister's legacy to be that no other lives are lost in the same way.

"The fact that we've got to sit on a bench with her name on it and not sit with her on a garden bench is just unfair beyond belief."

Ms Carrington agrees that people need to understand the dangers.

"Imagine 70 or 80 fireworks going off at one point," she explained. "I would never advise anyone to carry out their own conversion.

"Is a life worth the risk? I would say no."

Patients with advanced skin cancer could be fast-tracked to take part in a "revolutionary" trial of a new cancer vaccine.

The needle-free injection boosts the immune system's response and helps it attack and recognise cancer cells to help stop the disease returning.

The trial is being coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, which is based at the city's university, and is aiming to expand the number of patients able to take part.

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK and accounts for about 4% of all new cancer cases but research shows it is on the rise.

The NHS will work with Oxford-based life sciences company Scancell to widen access for patients at seven sites across England, including in Southampton, with the first patients set to be referred in May.

The work is being done as part of the NHS's Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a trial to help find treatments for patients at their nearest participating NHS site.

Grandfather-of-four Paul Thomas, 63, from New Milton, Hampshire, was first diagnosed with advanced skin cancer in 2017 and the disease kept returning following treatment.

He was put on the trial in July and said he felt lucky to be included.

"Thankfully I was still quite fit and since I've been on it, my tumours have all shrunk. Every time I go for a scan they seem to be shrinking, which is very exciting," Mr Thomas said.

"I'm really hoping for total eradication of my cancer, as opposed to being put in remission and I'm feeling optimistic."

Potential participants first need a blood test to determine their tissue type. It looks at genes that control how the immune system works which varies from person to person.

Prof Gareth Griffiths, director of the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: "We hope that by being part of this ground-breaking programme we can help to increase referrals for this trial and give more patients with advanced melanoma access to new, potentially life-saving treatments."

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A federal judge has denied Mahmoud Khalil's request to be released from detention, ruling on Friday that the US government is not violating his previous court order by holding him.

On Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz decided Mr Khalil could not be deported or detained based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his presence "would compromise a compelling US foreign policy interest."

But the US government told the court that Mr Khalil is being detained for a different reason – that he was "an alien inadmissible at the time of entry or admission".

Acknowledging that argument, Judge Farbiarz said Mr Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, would have to remain in detention.

In a letter to the court on Friday, the justice department said Judge Farbiarz had "expressly noted" that his order would "have no impact on efforts to remove [Mr Khalil] for reasons other than the Secretary of State's determination".

Along with holding Mr Khalil because he had been deemed a threat to US foreign policy, the government detained him because of alleged inaccuracies on his application to become a permanent resident.

In his response to the government's letter on Friday, Judge Fabiarz agreed and said Mr Khalil had not provided any "factual evidence" or any "meaningful legal arguments" as to why he may not be detained on the immigration charges.

Judge Fabiarz had addressed those charges in his Wednesday decision, saying that it was unlikely the government would hold anyone solely for alleged inaccuracies on an application and the primary reason behind Mr Khalil's detention was Secretary Rubio's determination.

But he did not say it was illegal to hold someone only on those charges.

Mr Khalil's arrest in March was the highest-profile in President Donald Trump's crackdown on international student protesters, as video of his arrest whipped around social media and the birth of his first child in April, while he was still detained, made global headlines.

Born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, Mr Khalil moved to the US in 2022, where he earned a master's degree at Columbia University and married an American citizen, Noor Abdalla,

In response to the judge's decision on Friday, Mr Khalil's lawyer Amy Greer said the government "is now using cruel, transparent delay tactics to keep him away from his wife and newborn son ahead of their first Father's Day as a family".

"Instead of celebrating together, he is languishing in ICE detention as punishment for his advocacy on behalf of his fellow Palestinians. It is unjust, it is shocking, and it is disgraceful," she said.

ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly alleged that pro-Palestinian activists, including Mr Khalil, support Hamas, a group designated a terrorist organisation by the US, and pledged to deport them.

Mr Khalil has contended he was exercising his right to free speech while demonstrating in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

In his Wednesday decision, Judge Fabriarz had written that Mr Khalil's "career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled — and this adds up to irreparable harm".

He had also written that he expected Mr Khalil to win his case in court.

A £285,000 revamp of an Oxfordshire town's arts centre has been approved, along with an improvement plan for the venue.

The money from Vale of White Horse District Council will be spent on refurbishing the Beacon Arts Centre, in Wantage.

As part of the action plan, food and drink offerings will be reviewed and "more co-ordinated" marketing will be carried out to boost ticket sales.

But the council said fees and charges had already been increased at the venue – and would be reviewed again in the middle of the year to "assess if any further commercial opportunities exist".

The money will also pay for improving the venue's reception area, refurbishing toilets and creating a more attractive entrance.

Originally a Civic Hall built in 1973, The Beacon now has a theatre, dance studio and three function rooms.

The improvements are the second phase of an action plan – and the council said it had already done things like start National Theatre Live screenings and re-introduce a cafe.

Councillor Helen Pighill said the authority had to balance The Beacon's "dual role" as an entertainment venue, aiming to be more commercial, and the "valuable public service" it offered for things like training and education.

She said: "The first phase action plan for the Beacon, adopted in February 2024, laid the groundwork for improvements and this next phase addresses outstanding actions, while introducing a comprehensive set of new initiatives."

The council said it was also developing a "Culture, Heritage and Creative Industries Strategy" for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.

A Ramsey man has been jailed over drugs and breaching a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO).

Between January and September 2024 Matthew Williams, 22, was involved in supplying over £3,500 of cannabis, and was found with up to £2,030 of ketamine.

Williams had on five occasions breached the SOPO, which banned him from deleting his internet search history, by using snapchat, which automatically deletes messages.

Jailing him for four years, Deemster Graeme Cook said he was "amazed" that Williams had not been remanded in custody earlier.

On 28 May, Williams' fingerprints were identified on wraps of cannabis seized by the police.

'Cannot go on like this'

On 28 August, police searched Williams' house, where they found weighing scales with traces of cannabis and wraps the size of golf balls containing white powder, later found to be ketamine, with a street value of up to £2,030.

On 10 September he was found with a number of wraps containing cannabis, later discovered to be worth £540, along with a grinder and plastic tube.

Douglas Courthouse heard Williams has been on remand since 11 September.

When he was in prison, a guard heard him on a call with a friend, speaking in code about a package.

The next day a purple envelope suspected to contain drugs was intercepted at the post office. It was addressed to Williams' home, and included three vapes and six gummies all containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in cannabis.

His defence advocate told the court Williams' involvement in supplying drugs was to fuel his own habit.

The court heard while it was not known what the content of the Snapchat messages had been, it did "appear to be in line with drug dealing".

Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, concerned in importing THC, possession with intent to supply of ketamine, possession of intent to supply of cannabis and possession of criminal property.

He also pleaded guilty to five counts of being in breach of the SOPO he was given in September 2021.

Deemster Cook issued an updated Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will be in place for ten years.

"You cannot go on like this", he told Williams, noting he was still comparatively young and "lacking in maturity".

Detectives have said there is a "very real chance" the killer of a young woman who was murdered in 1986 is still at large after a man wrongfully convicted of the frenzied sexual attack was freed.

Peter Sullivan spent the last 38 years behind bars for murdering 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Merseyside, before he was acquitted at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Now 68, Mr Sullivan was released from prison after judges heard a DNA profile pointing to an unknown attacker was found after new testing on semen samples preserved from the crime scene.

Merseyside Police said more than 260 men identified in the original investigation had been tested and eliminated as suspects.

The force's head of investigations, Det Ch Supt Karen Jaundrill, said officers "had not met with any resistance" to DNA screening.

She has now appealed for people in the community to come forward if they can think of anyone whose "behaviour they were not happy with" at the time, admitting there was a "very real chance" the killer was still at large.

• Who is Peter Sullivan and why was he jailed?
• Why was Peter Sullivan not freed earlier?

Miss Sindall was dragged into an alley and beaten to death on 2 August 1986 in an attack detectives described at the time as the worst they had ever been involved in.

Merseyside Police said it had immediately reopened Miss Sindall's case after being told there was a new DNA profile in 2023, despite Mr Sullivan's appeal still being in progress at the time.

Det Ch Supt Jaundrill said that while the DNA was the main focus of investigative efforts, her team will rely heavily on people who lived in Birkenhead at the time for answers.

"I'm really hopeful with the work that we are doing but we really are relying on the community, particularly Birkenhead, just to really think about the nature of that investigation at the time," she said.

"Try and reflect on any individuals that you weren't happy with at the time.

"It may be that somebody has passed away and you weren't happy with their behaviour at the time and you think they were linked.

"My ask would be please contact us, regardless of how insignificant you think the information is, and let us judge where that fits into our investigation."

Miss Sindall, who worked as a florist, had also been doing part-time bar work at the Wellington Pub in Bebington to save up for her upcoming wedding to her fiancé, David Beattie.

She began driving to her home in Seacombe in her blue Fiat van but seemingly ran out of petrol, and began walking to what police believe was either a bus stop or an all-night garage shortly after 00:00 BST.

Her semi-naked body was discovered partially concealed in an alleyway by a woman walking her dog at about 12:30 that day.

The victim had suffered severe injuries and her death was found to have been caused by repeated blows to the head.

Det Ch Supt Jaundrill said Miss Sindall's family and fiancé were "fully supportive" of the new investigation and "very much want us" to find her real killer.

Asked about the chances of the young woman's attacker still being on the streets nearly four decades later, she added: "There is a very real chance.

"That's where I reiterate our dedicated team of investigators are working tirelessly.

"We're exploiting every opportunity to try and identify who the person is in relation to that DNA sample, but it does come back to that point – we are reliant on the communities, particularly [in] Birkenhead, to provide information."

The force has defended how it investigated the original case, and highlighted that the technology to extract a DNA profile from the semen samples recovered from Miss Sindall's body was still many years away at the time of her murder.

It has also pointed to the fact that two other grounds of appeal, related to how Mr Sullivan was interrogated and the admissibility of bite mark evidence, were rejected by appeal court judges.

Det Ch Supt Jaundrill said: "Nobody at Merseyside Police underestimates the impact on Peter Sullivan and I am grateful that the outcome at court will allow him to go out and rebuild his life.

"Our focus remains on finding justice for Diane."

Mr Sullivan's solicitor Sarah Myatt said her client was a "private man" and wanted to be "left in peace" to rebuild his life.

Mr Sullivan, in a statement read to the media by Ms Myatt outside the Court of Appeal, said he was not "angry or bitter" and expressed his wish that the Sindall family get justice.

Ms Myatt, who has represented him for 20 years, said she had been "honoured" to read those words on his behalf.

"The comments he made about wanting the family to get a resolution, to find peace, that is a true reflection on the man that he is," she said.

Another man who spent time in prison for a crime he did not commit, John Actie, said he could not understand why Mr Sullivan was not angry about everything he had gone through.

While on remand, Mr Actie was in jail for two years while accused of the murder of Lynette White in a Cardiff flat on 14 February 1988.

He was cleared at trial.

Three of his co-defendants were found guilty of her murder, but later had their convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal in a case that garnered national attention and became known as the Cardiff Five in the media.

Mr Actie told BBC Radio Wales: "It just made my stomach go over. It could have happened to us, we could have been in jail for a lot longer.

"Fortunately we were lucky and we got out because they came to the right decision.

"He's not bitter? Well I'm bitter, and I spent two years in jail. I have nightmares about it still.

"He's got to start his life again now, at 68. It's absolutely terrible.

"I'm flabbergasted that he's not angry with what's happened to him – I just can't believe that he's not angry. I'm choking up thinking about it."

A 12-year-old Elvis impersonator has been invited to perform at the singer's iconic home in the US.

Cooper from Paignton in Devon has been given three slots for his Elvis tribute act at Graceland in Memphis in August after the promoters saw his videos.

The great pretender told BBC Radio Devon he had been impersonating the king of rock and roll since he was five years old after he saw an Elvis video and "fell in love".

He said: "It's the moves, the hair, his looks, his style, everything really, that makes me want to look like, act and sing like him."

Cooper has been performing his tribute act for the past five years in care homes, hotels and other small venues across the UK.

After his agent sent videos to the Graceland team he was chosen to take part in three shows at the singer's former mansion and has signed a contract with Elvis Presley Enterprises.

His mother Kelly said she was "so, so proud".

She said: "I'm pretty speechless most of the time, especially when I see him on stage.

"I'm like 'where did he get this confidence from?'"

Cooper said: "The Elvis world is a great world and I just want to win as many competitions as I can and tour the world as Elvis."

A woman in her 40s is in hospital with life-changing injuries after a suspected XL Bully attack.

Avon and Somerset Police said the woman was bitten by the dog at a home in Sutton Avenue, Bristol, at about 16:15 BST.

The force confirmed the dog – which is thought to be an XL Bully – has been secured inside the home.

Officers used protective shields while entering the address, police said, adding the woman was sent to hospital by ambulance.

Speaking from the scene, BBC reporter Christopher Mace said: "We saw a dog being taken out of the house and into the back of a police vehicle but neighbours told us they believe it was not the dog involved in the incident.

"Police were at the top and bottom of Sutton Avenue when we arrived.

"There were four of five police cars, including forensics, and either family members or friends were gathered outside on the road."

A baby boy "almost certainly would not have died when he did" if his rare heart condition had been diagnosed, an inquest has found.

Archie Squire suffered heart failure days after his first birthday and died in November 2023 after multiple visits to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.

Speaking after the inquest, Archie's parents Jake Squire and Lauren Parrish said they "do not feel reassured that a baby going through heart failure in the same way Archie had for months would be correctly diagnosed".

Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKH), said the trust was "truly sorry".

• 'We want to keep Archie's memory alive' – family

Sarah Clarke, area coroner for North East Kent, concluded that there was "no doubt" that an earlier diagnosis of a congenital heart defect would have "altered the outcome" of his care.

The coroner echoed a report by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which highlighted "missed opportunities" that could have prevented his death.

Delivering her conclusion, Ms Clarke recorded Archie's cause of death as heart failure and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA).

This defect could have been diagnosed by an echocardiogram, which Ms Clarke said was not undertaken despite "many presentations to medical personnel in the weeks and months leading up to his death".

A paediatric cardiac surgeon described the delay as "unacceptable" in his report to the court.

Ms Clarke added: "There is no doubt that earlier recognition and diagnosis of Archie's underlying heart condition would have altered the outcome.

"I am not saying what that outcome would have been. He almost certainly would not have died when he did."

Speaking outside North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone, Mr Squire said: "It has been incredibly difficult to sit and listen to the evidence over the last couple of weeks.

"Archie was a happy baby, but he was not a well baby, and me and Lauren did all that we could during his short life to seek help for him.

"We trusted the doctors and nurses who cared for him to take our concerns seriously and to find out what was wrong.

"To learn after his death that he had such a serious problem with his heart that had not been diagnosed, despite the number of times we took him to hospital, was heartbreaking."

New and more robust systems had been put in place by the trust since Archie's death, Ms Clarke added.

Speaking directly to Archie's family, Ms Clarke praised them as an "absolute credit to each other".

'Mystery child'

The inquest at North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone heard how Archie was reviewed at the A&E and Urgent Care Centre at QEQM Hospital more than 10 times during his life, displaying symptoms including constipation, breathlessness and failure to thrive.

Ms Parrish recalled her son was the labelled a "mystery child" because doctors were not sure what was wrong with him.

Archie died in the early hours of 23 November 2023, three days after his first birthday, following two cardiac arrests.

Archie's godmother Nikki Escudier described Archie as a "shining light" whose "laughter, love and joy touched everyone lucky enough to know him".

A paediatrician from East Kent Hospitals previously told the inquest that it was "a surprise" to find that Archie had a cardiac issue as he did not have any signs of heart disease or heart failure in October 2023.

Ms Clarke made no judgement on individual decisions but said there were missed opportunities for a more proactive approach during October, adding a more holistic approach should have been taken.

In a statement on behalf of the trust, Ms Fletcher said: "After meeting with Archie's family, we have made important changes to our service.

"These include one standard process for triage and booking of child referrals, and prioritising the assessment of children referred to us. We will examine further learnings identified through the inquest process.

"Staff across the Trust now receive specialised training to improve how clinical concerns, diagnoses and plans are discussed with families in our care. The training for our children's health team specifically draws on lessons learned from Archie's death."

A developer has requested planning permission to build 250 new homes in a Surrey village.

Mac Mic Group submitted an outline planning application with details of the proposed neighbourhood in Stoke D'Abernon.

Nearly 300 people raised objections to the Blundel Lane scheme, named The Paddocks, at an earlier stage of the planning process.

The developer said in planning documents the scheme would "make a vital contribution towards meeting local housing needs".

The proposal currently consists of a mix of apartments, terraced, semi-detached and detached homes of between one and four bedrooms each, half of which would be available below market value.

This could be altered at a later planning stage, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The plan "respects and enhances the natural beauty of the site and its context", according to the developer.

Two access points from Blundel Lane are proposed for the green belt site, as well as a pedestrian and cycle route along the road.

The land is currently covered by rough grass, scrub and areas of mature trees and is partially used for private horse riding, according to planning documents.

Objectors raised concerns about increased traffic, damage to the "semi-rural character of the village" and the "impact on crumbling infrastructure" at the previous planning stage.