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An "immature" and "naïve" former police officer cried in court as he was spared prison after passing police information to members of an organised crime gang.

Adam Davies, 30, who was an officer with Surrey Police, admitted four counts of misconduct in a public office.

He was given a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Judge Tony Baumgartner said Davies gave information to the criminals "for kudos" instead of financial benefit, branding it a "stupid thing to do".

While searching a missing elderly man's house on 10 October 2020, Davies could be heard on a video "mocking and praising" the man for owning pornographic DVDs, Judge Baumgartner said.

"There was no policing purpose for you to film in the vulnerable man's home as you did," the judge said.

The video was discovered after an associate of Davies, a member of an organised crime group, was arrested and his phone was seized after a large quantity of cocaine was found in man's vehicle.

Judge Baumgartner said Davies was then "fishing for information" about the man's arrest, which formed another charge.

The court heard that a message exchange was discovered on the man's phone on 10 October in which Davies said: "We should go into business, all the seized stock I take."

Prosecutor Szilvia Booker said it was accepted that Davies, of Farnham, was "joking" in the message.

In a separate incident on 6 November 2020, Davies was asked to investigate Hone Gym, in Godalming, for being open during lockdown.

Davies said in a crime report he had told the gym of Covid guidelines, when in reality he had "made it clear he had no intention of closing the gym down" and tried to warn them that police would be attending, Ms Booker said.

He also admitted disclosing to his partner's brother that a prisoner had been released in March 2020.

Judge Baumgartner said it was an "exceptional case" with an "absence of profit, corruption, or actual harm" in most of the offending by the "immature" defendant.

Sentencing Davies, Judge Baumgartner said: "You provided police information to those criminal associates and wilfully neglected your police duties.

"Your immaturity and naivety led you to act in such a stupid and unprofessional way. It was not out of corruption or out of malice.

"You appeared to think that impressing your criminal associates was more important than your public office as a police officer."

Mitigating, Kevin Baumber said Davies was "extremely sorry" and there was "no element of profit".

Mr Baumber added: "He has pursued a similar line of work in loss prevention, but with the utmost integrity, skill and practical results."

Independent Office for Police Conduct director Emily Barry said: "Adam Davies's actions were corrupt and criminal. We expect the police to clamp down on criminal activity, not assist criminals.

"He abused his position of power in a complete betrayal of the public's trust and such behaviour has no place in policing."

Davies, who joined Surrey Police in May 2017, was ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 10 days.

US Vice-President JD Vance said there was a "good chance" a trade deal could be reached with the UK, suggesting it would be easier to land than with other European countries due to "a much more reciprocal relationship".

UK business and trade minister Sarah Jones welcomed Vance's comments and said talks to secure a deal with the US were ongoing, but declined to provide a timeline on their progress.

"Nobody wants tariffs. No one wants a tariff war. We want to secure a deal with the US," she added.

The real question about positive comments by Vice-President JD Vance and Jones about a UK-US trade deal, is what they actually mean by the term "deal".

Just after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's visit to the White House in February, it was rather telling that the UK delegation referred to what was being negotiated as an "economic deal".

This was meant to show that this "deal" was not about an extensive free trade agreement, covering nearly all goods.

In Trump's first term, negotiations between the UK and US progressed fairly well up until the point controversial issues about medicine pricing and food standards emerged.

Trump's team told me back then that they were waiting to see how close the UK would remain to European Union rules after Brexit.

This time around, the "deal" seems to have been about science, technology and artificial intelligence cooperation in return for avoiding tariffs.

The US has wanted to talk about the UK's "tech tax" on mainly US digital companies, and has raised issues about the Online Safety Act.

However, there is a big problem now.

The US has now levied a 10% tax on UK imports as part of what it called its "reciprocal tariffs".

But there is no general problem with this trading relationship. In fact, the UK buys more from the US than the other way around.

The mood music from Washington is that this 10% tariff is not for negotiation with anyone. That is the baseline tariff that has been levied on nearly all of America's trading partners.

Making an exception for one country would simply invite significant trade diversion.

The education department has "no plans" to fund a community library that is facing closure due to future financial pressures.

The Isle of Man's Family Library said the facility was set close its doors on 31 July due to expected annual losses of £100,000 as a result of rising costs and declining incomes.

Some Tynwald members have called on the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (Desc) to "take a lead role" in finding a solution.

But Decs member Paul Craine MLC said the department did not have the "capacity to provide financial support within the current budget constraints".

Since full funding was pulled by the then Department of Education in 2011, following a revision of the island VAT income, the services have been run as an independent charity.

It operates a mobile library in rural areas and a home service for those who are housebound, alongside running a library on Westmoreland Road in Douglas offering activities to young people, schools and adults.

Following a Tynwald motion in 2017, £100,000 was provided to The Family Library with a further £138,500 provided by the government in 2019 and 2020 while a Council of Ministers working party reviewed library services on island.

In 2022, the government agreed to a five-year funding plan on a sliding scale beginning with £125,000 in August of that year, with the final sum of £65,000 due to be awarded in August 2026.

Speaking after the closure was announced, director Kurt Roosen confirmed it could not "guarantee" it would have the funds to operate for the next 12 months.

'Loss to communities'

After putting forward an urgent Tynwald question on the situation, Lawrie Hooper MHK said a number of people had highlighted the level of support they got from the library and "the loss to communities" around the island if the closure were to go ahead.

Meanwhile other MHKs praised its "value" and called on Desc to lead talks with the wider government to find a "sustainable solution".

Craine said the "extent of the department's involvement" was that it owned the building, which was leased to the library for "a peppercorn rent of £50 a year".

He confirmed talks had taken place between the parties but said the Desc did not have the "physical resources to oversee the management" of the facility or take discussions forward, or the financial resources to support it in future.

It was therefore "not a matter" for the department and there were "no plans" to fund the The Family Library in future, he added.

It's 2:30am.

Inside the Kremlin walls I'm wandering alone through the vast grounds trying – and failing – to find my way out.

I spot a checkpoint, approach and show my passport.

"Nyet vykhoda!" ["No exit!"] replies the guard. He points in the opposite direction.

I walk back and, eventually, come to another checkpoint.

"No way out!" says the sentry.

I'm lost. Inside the Kremlin. In the dead of night.

It's like being in a John le Carré novel.

It's been quite an evening. I arrived at 5pm. Along with a small group of journalists, I'd been invited to "an event with President Putin". What kind of event? To begin with the Kremlin wouldn't say. Eventually we were told Vladimir Putin would be taking questions.

Eight hours later, the president strode into the Malachite Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace and sat at a desk.

But there'd been a change of plan. No press conference. No questions. Instead, live on Russian TV, Putin delivered a statement in which he proposed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.

Event over, I walk out of the Kremlin Palace but take a wrong turn. Finally, I locate the correct exit and, bleary-eyed, take a taxi home.

This was the start of what has turned out to be a real rollercoaster of a fortnight. What began with a late-night Kremlin statement continued with peace talks in Turkey and then a two-hour telephone call between Putin and Donald Trump.

But, at the end of it, are we any closer to peace in Ukraine?

It doesn't feel like it.

Although there is talk about more talks, and of а possible future "memorandum" on a "possible future peace", it all sounds rather vague.

For now, the fighting goes on.

Russia is still refusing to sign up to an unconditional comprehensive ceasefire. It has no intention of returning any of the Ukrainian land it has seized, occupied and claims to have annexed. On the contrary: it's pushing for more.

Right now, the Ukraine peace process resembles being lost in the Kremlin late at night.

It's hard to see the exit.

The Kremlin side-step

And yet the past two weeks have revealed a lot.

First, how Russia neutralises potential threats and pressure points.

Kremlin critics would put this another way: how Russia plays for time.

On 10 May (a few hours before I got lost in the Kremlin), after a phone call with Donald Trump, European leaders had issued an ultimatum to President Putin: agree to an unconditional long-term ceasefire in Ukraine in two days or face crushing new sanctions.

Since March the Trump administration has been calling on Russia and Ukraine to accept a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire. Kyiv agreed. Moscow hasn't.

The Kremlin leader sidestepped the European ultimatum with his counter proposal of direct talks in Turkey. The idea was greeted with scepticism in Ukraine and across Europe. But it was enough to placate Trump and convince him Russia was serious about wanting peace. He was all for the talks. "Crushing" new sanctions were delayed.

Ahead of the Istanbul meeting on 16 May, President Trump gave the impression that Vladimir Putin might attend. The Kremlin leader did not, sending instead a comparatively low-level delegation that once more rejected the idea of a long-term ceasefire. But, again, the modest results of the talks were sufficient to persuade the US president that progress was being made.

Then came the Trump-Putin phone call on 19 May.

By the end of it, Russia had still not agreed to an immediate comprehensive cessation of hostilities. Instead, according to President Trump, "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War".

But Moscow is already casting doubt on whether it would sign any future peace treaty with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. For a year now the Russian authorities have been attempting to delegitimise Ukraine's president since the expiry of his presidential term. However, Ukraine's Constitution prohibits the holding of elections in wartime.

And the reason for martial law in Ukraine is Russia's invasion.

"Would Russia sit down and sign a peace agreement with President Zelensky?" I asked Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday.

"You're putting the cart before the horse," Mr Lavrov replied. "First we need to have a deal. When it's agreed, then we will decide. But, as President Putin has said many times, President Zelensky does not have legitimacy… Probably the best option would be new elections…"

Confident Russia

The Russian media has concluded that, after two weeks of diplomacy, Moscow has strengthened its hand.

"Russia has won the latest round of global poker," declared the Izvestia newspaper last week.

"Donald Trump's stance couldn't be more advantageous to Moscow," wrote Kommersant. "In effect he backed Russia's position of 'Talks first, ceasefire later' and refused to strengthen sanctions against Russia."

A social scientist told Kommersant: "Donald Trump, at least for now, is our ideological partner on certain issues. His views are much closer to Russia's than to Europe's."

And the ultra pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda had this message for European leaders:

"You were warned. Don't wave threats and ultimatums in the face of the bear. Don't try to impose conditions in talks that have nothing to do with you.

"Just sit in the lobby and breathe in the smell of the new world order."

Moscow's confidence is also fuelled by the belief that, in Ukraine, it holds the initiative on the battlefield.

Reluctant Trump

Back in 2023 Donald Trump had promised that, if he won the presidency, "we will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled… I'll get them both. I know Zelensky, I know Putin. It'll be done within 24 hours, you watch".

Trump has been in the Oval Office for more than four months now, but the "horrible war" goes on.

On rare occasions, he has publicly rebuked the Kremlin and threatened further sanctions. Last month he said: "…there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?'"

But there's been no follow-through. The US president appears reluctant to ratchet up the pressure on the Kremlin, instead signalling to Moscow that he's keen to reboot US-Russia relations.

Following the presidents' telephone conversation, Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, who'd sat in on the call, told journalists: "Trump spoke rather emotionally about the prospects for [bilateral] relations. Trump sees Russia as one of America's most important partners in trade and economic matters."

President Trump seems determined to push on with his rapprochement with Russia, whatever happens on Ukraine.

And Moscow senses that.

"President Trump does not link continued US-Russia dialogue to the Ukraine peace process," was a headline in the Russian government paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta this week.

That doesn't mean the Kremlin has headed off the danger of additional restrictions completely. The US Senate has threatened tough new sanctions against Russia if Moscow doesn't get serious about diplomacy.

Up to this point the Kremlin has been able to deflect or to sidestep whatever pressure it's come under to make compromises and concessions regarding its war on Ukraine.

It seems confident it will continue to do so.

An autistic man wants all teachers to undertake training to help them better understand how to interact with neurodivergent students and employees.

Tom Howard's petition, calling on the government to make the training mandatory, already has more than 10,000 supporters.

The 29-year-old, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, hoped it would help make education more accessible, improve inclusion and safety, and ensure the mental health of neurodivergent students does not suffer like his did.

"At university, things became overwhelming, the lack of understanding and reasonable adjustments pushed me to breaking point," he told the BBC.

According to the national charity Children's Society UK, it was estimated that between 15 and 20% of young people in the UK were neurodivergent.

This meant they had been diagnosed with either autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia or Tourette's Syndrome, NHS England said.

Research by the National Autistic Society, meanwhile, showed just 14% of secondary school teachers have received more than half a day's training on autism.

Its education report also revealed that 70% of autistic young people said teachers don't understand enough about autism.

Joey Nettleton Burrows, policy and public affairs manager at the organisation, said it was "critical" for teachers to understand autism to ensure autistic pupils feel supported in the classroom.

"A lack of understanding about autism can lead to students feeling unsupported, or that their needs aren't being met, which can have a negative impact on their attendance and attainment," he said.

"Autistic children deserve the right help at school, and teachers should be supported to provide this.

"All teachers and school staff should receive mandatory autism training to improve understanding and ensure that all autistic children get the education they need."

Mr Howard said he feared struggles faced by neurodivergent students could contribute to "poor mental health and emotional distress" – something he wants to prevent from happening.

"I want teachers to have training so they can spot and understand the signs and symptoms and learn how to interact with people who are neurodivergent," he said.

"But it's not just about the interactions between teachers and students because there are more and more neurodivergent teachers and support staff in the workplace."

'Every student deserves to be understood'

Mr Howard received a "late diagnosis" for his autism in July 2016 when he was 20 years old and studying at university.

Before his diagnosis, the lack of quiet spaces for breaks, clear instructions, extended time for exams and coursework, flexible deadlines and the availability of assistive technology made studying difficult, he said.

He also struggled with changing timetables, not being allowed to leave class when he felt overwhelmed, and not having one-to-one mentoring sessions with a trusted staff member.

"This lived experience is what now drives me to campaign for change because no one should have to reach crisis before they're supported," he said.

"Every teacher deserves the tools to recognise and respond to neurodivergence—and every student deserves to be understood."

'Something will change'

Mr Howard surveyed just over 80 teachers and lecturers as part of research for his campaign and said he was "quite surprised" when 90% told him neurodivergent training would be useful.

Speaking about the petition, he said: "It is absolutely incredible, I have been overwhelmed by the public response, and I am looking forward to seeing what the government has to say.

"If I can get further cross-party backing and keep raising awareness, I think we will slowly chip away at it, and I am hopeful something will change."

The government is required to respond to petitions on the UK Parliament website with more than 10,000 signatures.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It will take time but, as part of our Plan for Change, we are thinking differently about what the Send [special educational needs and disabilities] system should look like, to restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.

"We are already making progress by investing £1bn into Send nationally and £740m to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, paving the way for significant, long-term reform."

The damage caused to 85 graves in the Muslim section of a cemetery is being treated as an Islamophobic hate crime, police have said.

The vandalism to the plaques and graves at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery in Hertfordshire – many belonging to babies and children – was reported on Sunday.

Ch Supt Jon Simpson said the force had explored several potential reasons for the damage and wanted to be careful how it was described to the public.

"However, now our inquiry has progressed we are confident that sadly, this was a religiously motivated act," he said.

"We would like to reassure those affected, and the wider Muslim community, that we are continuing to treat this crime extremely seriously."

Ch Supt Simpson's colleague Sgt Irfan Ishaq said he had been "listening to and recording feedback" from Muslim communities.

"We completely understand their frustration at the delay in confirming it as a hate crime and stand with them in their condemnation of this dreadful incident," he said.

"I'm sure the public can appreciate that as police, it is important for us to approach every incident reported to us with an open mind to ensure an unbiased and fair investigation."

Officers are working to identify families affected by the damage and a police presence is expected to remain in the area.

The cemetery is in the Three Rivers District, but owned by Brent Council in north London.

Earlier this week, Labour leader Muhammed Butt said the council would reinstate the damaged name plaques and return the cemetery to a "peaceful, quiet place of remembrance as quickly as possible".

Most people celebrating their 80th birthday do not run the risk of being called away to a work emergency – but that will be a possibility for Gari Finch. The soon-to-be octogenarian from Great Ayton, in North Yorkshire, has been a volunteer at Cleveland Mountain Rescue for 54 years, and so far he has at least 1,500 call-outs to his name.

However, Mr Finch's teammates know better than to suggest that after this latest milestone, he should hang up his distinctive red uniform and enjoy retirement.

He says he will continue in the volunteer role he has done since the early 1970s "as long as I'm still of some use".

"I'm still in my 20s in my brain – it's the rest of my body that's not there," he says.

Cleveland Mountain Rescue was established in 1965, and is run entirely by a group of about 70 volunteers, with no paid members of staff.

A keen climber and walker, Mr Finch says he was inspired to join in 1971 to "put a little bit back into society".

"I thought, if I fall off a crag or have an accident, I would like someone to come and help me," he told Naga Munchetty on BBC 5 Live.

"So, consequently, when the opportunity came, I joined up."

Alongside his full-time teaching job, he was a search and rescue officer for over 25 years, responding to accidents and incidents across the North York Moors, the coastline between Sandsend and Hartlepool, and the Tees Valley.

Mr Finch was even part of the team sent to Scotland to help recover debris from the Lockerbie disaster in 1988, the UK's deadliest terror atrocity, when a bomb in the hold of a Pan Am flight to America exploded above the town.

In 2013, Mr Finch received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his dedication to mountain rescue services – although, according to him, it was "a team effort".

Mr Finch says his late wife, Sandy, also played a vital role in the operation of Cleveland Mountain Rescue, "taking up the reins" and speaking to emergency services in his absence if an urgent call came in.

She died nearly six years ago, and Mr Finch credits the friendships he has formed at the mountain rescue organisation for helping him through that difficult period.

"Apart from helping people, the camaraderie and banter and friends I've made over the years is brilliant," he explains.

"That's what's keeping me going, to be perfectly honest."

Cleveland Mountain Rescue has also reached a significant anniversary this year – 60 years in operation, making Mr Finch its longest-standing volunteer.

Grant Greive, public relations officer at Cleveland Mountain Rescue, says: "Gari joined the team in 1971, and 54 years later he is still an active member.

"He epitomises what volunteering is about: giving up his time, using his skills to help others."

To this day, Mr Finch still plays an active role in the team as a radio operator, helping to coordinate search and rescue efforts, as well as using his skills to train others.

"I think I'm still of some use," Mr Finch says.

"I'm still on the call-out list, so when there's a call-out, off I go to the base to prepare the Land Rovers and the radios.

"You don't do it for money or anything, you just do it because it's there to be done. It's something useful and it helps people."

Donald Trump has signed a controversial executive order aimed at stepping up deep-sea mining within US and in international waters.

The move to allow exploration outside its national waters has been met by condemnation from China which said it "violates" international law.

Thursday's order is the latest issued by the US president to try to increase America's access to minerals used by the aerospace, green technology and healthcare sectors.

The deep sea contains billions of tonnes of potato-shaped rocks, called polymetallic nodules, which are rich in critical minerals like cobalt and rare earths.

The family of a man whose death on a cruise ship sparked a police investigation have said he had "a heart of gold".

James Messham, from Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, was reported dead about two-and-a-half hours after MSC Virtuosa departed Southampton on 3 May.

In a tribute to the 60-year-old his family said they are "heartbroken" and struggling with "unanswered" questions.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary arrested a 56-year-old man from Richmond, London, on Sunday on suspicion of manslaughter.

He was the second man to be arrested in relation to the death, after a 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, who was arrested on suspicion of murder on 5 May was released on bail.

The vessel left Southampton at 18:00 BST for a two-night voyage to Bruges, Belgium, returning at 06:00 on Monday 5 May.

The police have said they wanted to hear from anyone who was aboard the ship.

The family of Mr Messham have issued a statement for their loved one.

They said: "James was a loving father to 8 children the youngest being only 10 years old. The unbreakable bond between us will never be forgotten. He was a family man.

"He was there for us all daily. He also had 10 grandchildren that he doted on. He will be very dearly missed by so many people. He had a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone.

"Our lives will never be the same without him. His wife and all us children and grandchildren are heartbroken. All of us are struggling with so many unanswered questions in relation to what happened that night aboard MSC Virtousa."

His eldest daughter Charmaine Messham described her father as a "businessman" who turned his hand to many trades to provide for his family, most notable was his work as a wall of death showman for a fairground.

"He was born a showman from the fairground. He travelled with a wall of death show all over the world. The show has been in the Messham family for 5 generations."

The wall of death is a carnival sideshow featuring a wooden cylinder, which typically sees motorcyclists travel along the vertical wall and perform stunts.

Ms Messham said her father had a "cheeky" sense of humour and that he "taught all of his children everything we know".

"He was a fantastic role model," she said.

A young Bruce Springsteen fan from North Lanarkshire became the envy of millions when she got to play a harmonica duet with the star during his gig at Anfield Stadium.

Holly Roy, 12, from Carfin, was at the Liverpool concert with her mum Laura on Wednesday when her harmonica-playing caught the eye of the 75-year-old rocker.

Holly had been near the front of the standing section when "The Boss" saw her as he went on a walkabout in front of the stage during his song The Promised Land.

As she sat on a fellow fan's shoulders, they played the harmonica section together before Springsteen gave Holly his harmonica.

Holly, who has only been playing harmonica for about a year, told BBC Radio Scotland's Mornings programme she felt "amazing".

"It was really good as he was walking by and singing to me and then he came back and we played together," she said. "Then he gave me his harmonica after that and just hi-fived."

Holly's mother Laura told the programme Holly had been practising on the pitch as they waited for Springsteen to come on.

"A few people noticed and a lovely man from Japan said that when Bruce was playing The Promised Land, Holly should go up on his shoulders."

However, Holly's encounter with the New Jersey singer almost didn't happen as security staff told Laura to take Holly off the man's shoulders and they followed the order.

Laura said: "Bruce started to approach the area where we were standing and he caught her eye so we put her back up on the man's shoulders and they played together.

"It was just amazing. I've been a mega fan since Covid when I watched all the concerts during lockdown while Holly has become a fan in the past year."