Exmouth garden death: Four further suspects arrested
A further four suspects have been arrested after the death of a man in Exmouth on Saturday.Officers were called at about 00:45 BST after they received reports a 24-year-old man had been assaulted and found in a garden of a property at Ashfield Close, Exmouth.He was pronounced dead at the scene, and three men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of murder on the same day. A fourth man has since been arrested for the same offence, and two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
All seven suspects remained in custody.Det Insp Guy Biggar from the Major Crime Investigation Team thanked "the local community for their support and patience with this investigation" and said officers would remain in the area as enquiries continued.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Sports Direct-owned gym blames former model's heatstroke sauna death on 'alcohol use and medication' as it fights £100k lawsuit by her actress daughter
A gym owned by Sports Direct has blamed an ex-model's sauna death on alcohol and medication as it battles a £100,000 lawsuit brought by her actress daughter. Mileva Brooks, 75-year-old mother of TV comedy actress Milanka Brooks, died after suffering heatstroke at an Everlast gym in Cheltenham in August 2022. Her daughter, who starred in TV sitcoms Benidorm, The Windsors and My Family as well as satire Black Mirror, is suing the Sports Direct-owned gym chain at London's High Court. A coroner's inquest in September 2023 found the pensioner died three days after being rushed to hospital when other gym users alerted staff that she had collapsed in the sauna and was experiencing breathing difficulties. But in their defence to the action lodged at London 's High Court, Fitness Ltd deny any blame. And they claim Mileva Brooks 'had a documented history of substance abuse, including but potentially not limited to alcoholism, along with medical conditions consistent with the use of prescribed medication'. Milanka, 41, found fame starring in a number of TV sitcoms after being cast in multi award-winning BBC1 sitcom My Family in 2000 after graduating from drama school. She had a regular role in ITV's Benidorm, playing Johnny Vegas' fiancée Ionela, as well as portraying Princess Svetlana in Channel 4's Royal family parody The Windsors and Nigel Planer's wife Elena in 2014 BBC2 comedy Boomers. She then found success in a high-profile role as a blue-faced alien crew member, Elena Tulaska, in the multi-Emmy Award winning Black Mirror episode called USS Callister in 2017. She has described her mother Mileva as her 'best friend in the world'. Mileva collapsed and died after using the sauna at the Everlast gym, in Henrietta Street in Cheltenham, on August 26 2022, having joined the gym six months earlier. Roland Wooderson, assistant coroner for Gloucestershire, recorded a narrative verdict after an inquest in 2023. She said the former model had 'died from the effects of heatstroke' after being 'found unresponsive in the sauna of the gym'. He had earlier heard medical evidence that Mileva's body temperature was 39.2C when measured by paramedics attending the scene. According to legal documents filed at London's High Court, Ms Brooks is now suing the gym's owners, claiming 'damages in excess of £50,000, but limited to £100,000'. The action comes in her role as administrator of her mother's estate for 'personal injury and consequential losses' and under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. But in a defence now lodged with the court by Natalie Green for Sports Direct, the company claims the staff at the gym did nothing wrong. Ms Green said: 'The deceased had a documented history of substance abuse, including but potentially not limited to alcoholism, along with medical conditions consistent with the use of prescribed medication.' She added that a post-mortem had found traces of the antidepressant lorazepam and epilepsy drugs clobazam and lamotrigine in Mileva's system. The barrister said there had been a sign outside the sauna stating conditions of safe use, including: 'Do not use the sauna if you suffer from epilepsy.' She added: 'The defendant replies upon the totality of the said signages' content, in particular the full list of conditions mandating non-use of the sauna, which include those relating to prior alcohol use and or medication impacting on the advisability of sauna use. 'By the publication of such guidance to its members, the defendant acted reasonably in the discharge of its duty of care. 'In the alternative, should breach of duty be proved against the defendant, the court may be invited to reduce any award of damages on account of the deceased's contributory negligence. 'The deceased suffered from temporal epilepsy and therefore should not have been using the sauna.' Ms Green added that the gym group would be calling for expert evidence 'as to the potential effects of any prescribed or controlled substances or alcohol in her system at the point of accessing the sauna'. She also claimed that a member of staff checked the sauna twice during the time the former model was in there and saw no cause for concern. She added: 'The deceased was recorded on CCTV as having entered the sauna at 14.15. The CCTV coverage of the wet areas did not include the interior of the sauna for reasons of privacy and practicality. '(But) the contemporaneous evidence indicated that the deceased was lying down on an upper bench throughout her time in the sauna on a towel with her eyes closed and her head supported by a foam pool weight. It is a position consistent with normal sauna use. 'It is clear from the contemporaneous evidence that a visual check into the sauna would have been unlikely to have elicited any cause for alarm. 'It is not admitted that the deceased was slumped in the sauna. The deceased was lying in a conventional position for sauna use and concern was only raised as to the manner of her breathing just prior to the alarm being raised at 15.15. 'At 15.00 the deceased continued to lie in a normal position for a sauna user. The index incident is unique in the history of the defendant's operation of gym and spa facilities. 'The sauna in question was less than a year old at the material time and there was no evidence that the sauna was defective. 'Members were provided with comprehensive guidance as to their safe use of the sauna and there was in place an alarm button,' the Sports Direct barrister said. In online posts, Milanka Brooks has spoken repeatedly of the close relationship she enjoyed with her mother - calling her 'the light and inspiration of my life,' her 'partner in crime' and 'best friend in the world'. In 2020, Frasers Group, the Sports Direct parent company, bought a number of DW Sports Fitness locations out of administration and started the Everlast Gyms chain. By late 2023, they had nearly 60 branches located across the UK.
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Sacked police officer: ‘I saved a drowning woman. I feared they'd arrest me for it'
Four months before the arrest that led to his dismissal, Lorne Castle plunged into a freezing river in the middle of the night. In the centre of the in-flood River Avon a vulnerable elderly woman clung to a small outcrop. Police regulations dictate he should not enter the water, but Mr Castle ignored the rules to wade into the ice cold torrent, stripped off his stab vest, and began swimming into the current while trying to throw a life ring to the woman as her family watched from the riverbank. 'Do you know what was going through my mind at that time?' the officer told The Telegraph from his home on a quiet residential street in Bournemouth. 'If I hit her with the ring, or she attempts to get it and gets dragged away I'm up for manslaughter because professional standards will tell me 'you weren't supposed to go in. You were trying to be a hero'. 'That is the world we operate in.' Mr Castle rescued the woman from the water and was later awarded a national bravery award for his actions. Last week, after almost a decade working for Dorset Police, he was dismissed for gross misconduct for a momentary loss of self control while arresting a teenager with a knife who he 'failed to treat with courtesy and respect'. The 46-year-old father of three is now facing an uncertain future. His name and picture have been published widely and he no longer feels safe in the town he has made his home for the past two decades. He said: 'My wife, Denise and our daughters are now going to have to completely change our lives. I don't know if we can still live here. 'I don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time. Dorset Police have put a target on my back and why? To get rid of an officer for doing their job?'' 'Police wokeness is terrifying' Since his dismissal, teenagers have been taunting officers in the town centre where the incident took place. One serving police officer said: 'Words of advice or warning would have been suitable. The state of wokeness in Dorset Police is terrifying. 'Numerous officers were telling us…when they were on foot patrol in the town centre at the weekend they had hoards of youths going up to them. '[They were] getting in their faces and mocking them with lines like, 'Ha ha I can do whatever I like and you can't touch me now or I'll just get you fired'.' Chris Amey, Mr Castle's former chief inspector who has since left the force, set up a Go Fund Me page to support his former colleague, raising almost £50,000 so far. The arrest itself took place on Jan 27 2024. Mr Castle was at the end of a 10-hour shift when the call about a violent masked offender came in. Rather than ignoring it as other officers might, he responded and within minutes had apprehended the suspect. At the time, he had no idea how old the individual was. The 15-year-old he detained was suspected of assaulting an elderly man while riding an e-scooter before getting embroiled in a fight with another youth outside a McDonald's. Earlier in the day, at the start of their shift, officers were warned that a large gang fight had taken place in the area and potential suspects were still at large. Just two years earlier, a 21-year-old teenager had been stabbed to death in the town centre by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, an asylum seeker and double murderer, in a row over an e-scooter. Police body-worn footage of Mr Castle's arrest of the teenager has been released by Dorset Police in recent days, in an attempt to quell the backlash and 'misinformation'. In the video, Mr Castle is seen holding the teenager on the ground while telling him to 'stop screaming like a b----'. A knife can be seen falling from the youth's pocket. A picture of the weapon obtained by The Telegraph shows it has a three-inch blade on one end and a Stanley knife on the other. The boy was not injured in the incident and was later given an out of court disposal for possession of the knife. Mr Castle admitted that, with hindsight, he is embarrassed to have used such language. He said: 'I wish I hadn't spoken like that but at the end of the day all my colleagues, and the public, came home safe.' The individual that Mr Castle arrested was not the one who complained about his actions. It was the two junior colleagues, who assisted in the arrest. Neither had been on the street for more than six months. During the misconduct hearing, Mr Castle was criticised for telling another officer to put leg restraints on the suspect. That same junior officer, who had less than four months experience on the streets, later gave evidence against Mr Castle at his misconduct hearing. When asked what implications his story had for other officers, Mr Castle said he is fearful that diligent and proactive officers will now be too afraid to arrest criminals. 'If I went into work and I sat behind a desk and didn't go out and make any arrests, I wouldn't get any complaints. But I wouldn't be doing the job,' he said. 'If they can get rid of me over just one incident where there's no injury, I have an unblemished record, no intent was proved, then I understand how it can be a concern for anyone in policing.' 'This nearly broke me' Mr Castle said that in the 18-months it has taken Dorset Police to reach a decision, he was placed on restricted duties and told by Ricky Dhanda, the head of Professional Standards, that he was not allowed face-to-face contact with the public. 'I am a strong, personally confident person,' Mr Castle says, 'But this nearly broke me'. It is understood that the professional standards department initially dismissed the allegations against Mr Castle but Mr Dhanda later overruled. Mr Dhanda has since been suspended after being accused of sexual misconduct. Since Mr Castle's dismissal, he says the outpouring of support from colleagues, members of the public, and also victims of crime has been overwhelming. One message in particular stood out. In August 2023, Cameron Hamilton, 18, was stabbed to death by Thomas Betteridge, 18, after a late night altercation in Bournemouth. His mother, Sarah Robinson, sent Mr Castle a message on Facebook after he was dismissed. 'As the mum of Cameron Hamilton, who was killed by someone using a knife in August 2023, in Bournemouth square I thank you for doing your job and I am saddened that the police force has lost such a good officer.' When asked if he thought Dorset Police genuinely believed the streets would be safer now he was no longer an officer, Mr Castle produces a news article from February 2024. In it, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, David Sidwick, calls for a 'no nonsense' 90s approach to tackling crime. He says he wants to make police officers 'crime fighters again' and warned specifically of the dangers of teenagers carrying knives. Mr Castle added: 'That is going to be difficult if you send the message that you are going to sack officers for arresting armed suspects.'
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Psychologist issues urgent warning about 'minor daily stresses' like being stuck in traffic which could wreak devastation on your long-term health
A leading psychologist has warned against the trauma of daily 'micro stresses' such as being stuck in traffic that have detrimental effects on your health. Dr. Becky Spelman, UK licensed psychologist, explained to Femail that human brains 'aren't wired for constant low-level friction' such as losing your keys and being in a rush. 'Repeated minor stressors can lead to the same physiological and emotional exhaustion as a single major stressor,' she explained. Indeed, Brits endure microstresses an average of eight times a day, increasing their blood pressure for as long as two hours daily, a new study from beverage company, Trip has found. Around 90 per cent of Brits experience these stressors - which include having an untidy house or not being able to find a parking space. 'When the small stresses pile up with no opportunity to decompress, they create an emotional static that affects concentration, patience, and even physical health,'Dr Spelman said. Dr Spelman suggested people 'incorporate small, daily rituals that restore calm', adding that overall management of stress should also focus on 'staying steady' during brief moments of strain. Microstresses are defined as small daily annoyances that, though seemingly small at the time, can weigh heavy on overall wellbeing when experienced in culmination. Among those counted as microstresses are seemingly minute aggravations such being being stuck in traffic, having an untidy house, or losing the remote control. Of the survey's 2,000 participants, a whopping 79 per cent admitted that while 'major problems' are less likely to get them down, the combined effect of microstresses resulted in poorer wellbeing. TRIP co-founder Olivia Ferdi, said: 'It's clear from the research that the smaller, more frequent stresses of daily life can really build up and grind us down, sometimes having more of an impact than the larger life events. 'Life is stressful enough so it can be really hard to find ways, and time, to chill out and relax. 'Taking some time to have a breather, sitting down and grabbing a drink can give you the break that you need to keep those microstresses at bay.' According to the survey, the single biggest trigger of stress for Brits was being stuck in traffic, with a whopping 53 per cent admitting to being impacted by road jams. Second on the list and causing aggravation to 42 per cent of people, was when a bin bag breaks during the process of taking it out. Losing keys and getting stuck behind a slow walker were equally stress inducing, with a third, 33 per cent, impacted. Additionally, 32 per cent stressed when their house is a tip, while 30 percent tense up when they spill something on their carpet. Other irritants included forgetting to charge a mobile device overnight, which 27 per cent said they were impacted by, losing the TV remote, cited by 26 per cent, and having a car parked outside your house, a strain for 23 per cent. Though minor in principle, the collective impact of several small stressors can be the equivalent to a single more significant event, Dr Spelman explained. 'They interfere with our focus, elevate cortisol levels, and can even alter how we respond to bigger challenges. In a fast-paced society, giving yourself permission to slow down - even for a few moments - can be the most important form of self-care,' she said. Across the country, those most afflicted are in Birmingham, with Brummies enduring 10 stressful moments a day. In comparison, people living in Coventry reported having just six daily tense encounters. The study found that 86 per cent of Brits find life generally irritating at present, with nearly 80 per cent saying they couldn't help being impacted by daily hassles. Bearing the brunt of intense stress, 62 per cent said stress sometimes even triggers them to feel physically sick, with 59 per cent left with headaches. Sleepless nights, increased heart rate and panic attacks were also among reported side effects. Britain's most annoying microstresses 1. Being stuck in traffic – 53% 2. A bin bag breaking when you're trying to take it out – 42% 3. Losing your keys – 33% 4. Someone walking slowly in front of you – 33% 5. Your house being a tip – 32% 6. Spilling something on your carpet – 30% 7. Misplacing your mobile – 28% 8. The Wi-Fi buffering when you're binging a show – 27% 9. Forgetting to plug your phone in to charge overnight – 27% 10. Losing the TV remote control – 26% 11. Being in a rush and not being able to find an outfit – 24% 12. Forgetting to put the bins out – 23% 13. Someone parking their car outside your house for days – 23% 14. Dropping toothpaste all down yourself – 23% 15. Not being able to find a parking space – 22% 16. Spilling coffee down your top – 22% 17. Stepping in dog's mess – 22% 18. Running out of milk – 21% 19. Missing your train or bus – 21% 20. Listening to politicians – 19% 21. The batteries in your TV remote not working – 18% 22. Having a leak under the sink – 16% 23. Running out of clean socks – 15% 24. Having to re-wash plates after they've been in the dishwasher – 14% 25. A work colleague not finishing what they were supposed to do – 14% 26. Burning your morning toast – 12% 27. Opening your laptop to hundreds of unread emails – 11% 28. Watching the news – 11% 29. Having a row with a colleague at work – 11% 30. Enduring a disappointing lunch – 11% 31. Losing your headphones – 11% 32. Getting stuck in traffic on the school run – 10% 33. Not having change for a car park – 9% 34. Burning your mouth on a cheese toastie – 9% 35. The dog not coming when it's called – 8%
