The two very different types of female alcoholic: My friend Sarah took a sip of wine after six years sober. When I next saw her, I was shocked to the core: AMANDA GOFF
Sarah* didn't wake up in a stranger's bed, nor did she vomit on the Uber driver.
She knew she didn't need to check her phone in the morning and cringe at the abusive texts she'd sent to colleagues. She didn't even need a Panadol. There was no drama, no tragedy, no sirens, no clink of handcuffs.
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Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I paid £83.50 for just an HOUR of parking after firm fined me for a 'stupid reason'
A mental health support worker paid £83.50 for just an hour of parking - after a firm fined him for not buying a ticket, even though their machine was out of order. Lenny Samms, 63, of Eastbourne, told MailOnline he received an £85 charge in early January for the totally accidental breach in October last year. He parked at Iceland - but with the payment machine not working, he could not buy a ticket: 'I thought, "There's other cars here, I'll just get on with my day".' Mr Samms was only away from his car for an hour, which normally costs £1.50 - so with an £85 charge, he essentially paid £83.50 more than he should have had to. That comes in at a pricey £1.40 per minute - nearly the normal hourly rate, thanks to the fine issued by Horizon Parking. He explained the machine was out of order when he received the charge - but with no proof, he ended up just paying it: 'I didn't want to go to court and try to explain it. 'I didn't take a photograph of the machine saying out of order when I should have.' But he said: 'I felt sort of isolated, I'm sure that other people have gone through it but I had no support or a witness or anyone else I knew that had gone through it. Lenny Samms (pictured), 63, of Eastbourne, told MailOnline he received an £85 charge in early January for the totally accidental breach in October last year He parked at Iceland (pictured) - but with the payment machine not working, he could not buy a ticket: 'I thought, "There's other cars here, I'll just get on with my day"' Mr Samms was only away from his car for an hour, which normally costs £1.50 - so with an £85 charge, he essentially paid £83.50 more than he should have had to 'That's why I was thinking, "Should I reach out to anyone on Facebook who had gone through a similar thing?" 'Because it's a local town, Eastbourne is not that big and I wondered if anyone had gone through it but then you feel quite isolated really. And it's annoying really.' He continued: 'When you're getting a parking charge like this, it can be quite intimidating, threatening you with court procedures and all this. 'I just wish I had the proof but I know next time to get proof, you need evidence. 'It was a hard lesson to learn, really, then I probably wouldn't have had to pay it.' But Mr Samms never thought he would have to go on to prove the machine was not working - with CCTV cameras in the car park to already show that was the case. The 63-year-old continued: 'I just naively thought that the machine and the camera sort of liaise together. I didn't expect a ticket to come through the post.' And it was only after paying the charge and discussing it with an Iceland employee that he discovered there is a second payment machine in the car park. But Mr Samms never thought he would have to go on to prove the machine was not working - with CCTV cameras in the car park (pictured, a sign in the Iceland car park) to already show that was the case But it is not visible unless you are entering the supermarket - which he was not - and there is no notice in the car park informing customers it is there. Drivers facing trouble with unexpected charges from parking firms has become an increasingly well-documented issue in recent times. In fact, analysis by MailOnline has shown 'cowboy' parking firms are now doling out a record number of tickets. Government figures suggest private operators issued 12.8million fines in 2023/24 – one every two seconds. This is up nearly 90 per cent in just five years, despite the Government repeatedly vowing to stop predatory operators. With 2024/25 on track to be even worse, ministers are facing renewed calls to get tough on the ruthless firms causing misery for millions of motorists. Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said it was 'scandalous' how motorists were being stung by broken technology and firms deploying sneaky signs to take 'advantage of law-abiding citizens'. He revealed he was working with parliamentarians to stop parking firms 'marking their own homework' by overhauling the current complaints process. Mr Samms said: 'When you're getting a parking charge like this, it can be quite intimidating, threatening you with court procedures and all this'. Pictured: The machine in the Iceland car park Mr Williams said: 'We want a truly independent single appeals service that only the Government backed private parking code of practice will deliver. 'We also want a scrutiny board which will ensure private parking operators conform to the rules and will face consequences if they do not.' Mr Samms echoed this sentiment too: 'The parking companies are known to be quite greedy and misleading, aren't they? So, it's no surprise, it's all about money... 'When you work hard for your money and you've got a mortgage to pay and bills to pay and the cost of living is going up, the last thing you want is to have to find £85.' The support worker, who has lived in Eastbourne all his life, has said parking in the town has become noticeably more expensive in recent years. He said: 'I've seen Eastbourne changed, like most towns are getting bigger, whereas years ago, you used be able to park in town without paying.' Payment has only come in the last ten or 15 years he said: 'Before, you could just park freely, but now, in and around the town, the radius, where you can't park for free anymore, you've got to park way outside of town if you want to park for free.' He also often visits Brighton, only a 20-minute drive away - but finds it very expensive to park there too. He continued: 'I just wish I had the proof but I know next time to get proof, you need evidence'. Pictured: A sign in the Iceland car park Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Samms said: 'It was the Green Party that made Brighton expensive to park to encourage tourists to use public transport but in fact what it was doing was keeping people away from Brighton. 'The parking was so expensive, you could spend £30 for a few hours. So, you do your shopping and things and you have a £35 bill.' Private parking firms are on course to issue a record 14.5million tickets to drivers in Britain in a year – with just five companies responsible for nearly half of them. And the firm behind Mr Samms' charge, Horizon Parking, is one of them. The RAC found car park management firms' requests to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) reached 7.2million in the six months to the end of last September. That is up 12 per cent from the same period a year earlier and represents an average of 41,000 requests per day. The RAC added if the rate continued for the following six months, 14.5million tickets will have been issued over a year. The five parking companies which issued 45 per cent of tickets between April and September last year were ParkingEye (1,129,000), Euro Car Parks (892,000), Horizon Parking (440,000), Smart Parking (424,000) and APCOA Parking (367,000). Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Private companies chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the daily total cost to drivers may be near £4.1million at the current rate. But private parking firms have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. An investigation by the PA news agency earlier this year found drivers across England say they are being sent parking charge notices (PCNs) because of faulty machines, which one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. A Bill to enable the introduction of a Government-backed code for private parking companies received royal assent under the Conservative government in March 2019. The code was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies. Horizon Parking told MailOnline: 'We manage the car park on behalf of the landowner to ensure that their customers are able to park and utilise the facilities as required. This helps prevent abuse including ensuring disabled bays are kept free for those who need them. 'There is a clearly set out appeals process which motorists can follow if they feel that they should not have received a Charge. We are members of the British Parking Association and adhere to the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice. 'Without further information such as Parking Charge reference or vehicle registration we are unable to investigate this matter or comment any further. 'If a motorist receives a Parking Charge in these circumstances it is possible to investigate any issues with the payment machines from the back-office system, however without a specific date it is not possible to do so. 'Please note that payment on arrival is required and payment at the machine would not be possible if a motorist had remained in the car park for longer than the permitted maximum stay of 1 hour which is why it may have appeared not to be working. There is also the option to pay via our Horizon Parking app or website at by entering the location code advertised in the car park.'
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying audio reveals fugitive dad Travis Decker outlining plan for three daughters before alleged murders
Chilling new audio has revealed f ugitive father Travis Decke r pleading for more custody time to go camping with his daughters, just months before he was accused of brutally murdering them at a campsite. In the audio, which is from a September 2024 custody hearing, Decker makes an eerie promise that no harm would come to the girls if he's given more time to take them camping in Washington State 's wilderness. Decker, who remains wanted and on the run, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping after he disappeared with Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, during a court-ordered visitation on May 30. Their bodies were were found near Rock Island Campground on June 2, with Decker's abandoned truck also discovered near the scene. His visitation time with the girls had earlier been reduced after his ex-wife raised concerns over his declining mental health, alleged endangerment, and lack of stability. She was given near-full custody while Decker was only allowed to visit every other weekend for a set number of hours. Frustrated with the lack of time with his daughters, Decker pled with a family court judge to restore access to the girls - claiming he'd never put them in danger. 'Every time I've had the girls, we have been in campsites and national forests and paid campsites that have campers,' he said in the audio. 'We've never done anything that was unsafe, or anything I wouldn't want to put myself in.' 'I understand that my current position when I'm by myself isn't ideal, but my daughters aren't a part of that,' Decker continued. 'I only get to see them over the weekends, and camping is something that the four of us have done since the three of them were in diapers.' He emphasized again that he's never put his daughter's at risk - and brings them to camp sights that are 'sold out.' 'I've never done anything I feel like that puts them in any sort of a risk ... that most families in the state of Washington, every campsite we've been to in the last month have been almost completely booked out or sold out because everybody's out this time of year. 'When I stepped away from the National Guard I was making $86,000 a year and now I make I think it's like $38,000 a year. When you start over from zero and you don't have help in a hand to get you through it makes it a little more difficult.' The judge responded, stating, 'That's not stable ... Whether it's an RV, a tent, an Airbnb or motel - that's not stability for these children. That's always a concern for the court.' In the audio, Decker tells the judge that he should have the 'opportunity' to be there for his daugthers. 'I already only get a day and a half, two days, with my daughters, and it's two nights,' Decker says in the audio. 'It's a Friday night, Saturday night, and because of my current job and the current location, I'm in Idaho working.' 'Where the work is, is where I come, and through the new parenting plan, it takes away basically all my opportunities to be around the girls when I'm not at work.' 'I feel like I should be able to be there for them and not have to find my way to be around my daughters.' The young children's bodies were discovered dumped in a remote, wooded area about 30 miles from Rock Island Campground in Washington. Decker had a history of escalating violence, according to his brother who revealed Travis' 'violent' reaction when his family attempted to hold an intervention. Thomas, 35, told the Daily Mail exclusively that his brother's actions are unrecognizable from when they were children and begged him to 'stop this evil' and turn himself in after the bodies of his children were found.
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
FBI alleges Chinese interference in 2020 election
FBI Director Kash Patel has turned over an intelligence report alleging that Chinese officials sought to rig the 2020 election with mail-in ballots by giving out tens of thousands of fake IDs. Newly declassified intelligence reports from August 2020 allege a vast conspiracy to benefit Democrat Joe Biden , officials who reviewed the file told Just the News. 'The FBI has located documents which detail alarming allegations related to the 2020 U.S. election, including allegations of interference by the CCP,' Patel wrote on X Monday evening. 'Specifically, these include allegations of plans from the CCP to manufacture fake driver's licenses and ship them into the United States for the purpose of facilitating fraudulent mail-in ballots – allegations which, while substantiated, were abruptly recalled and never disclosed to the public,' Patel told the outlet. The report was originally sent out to FBI offices around the country, but the memo was later recalled within weeks and never fully investigated on the grounds that the source needed to be interviewed again. The withdrawal came around the time that then-FBI Director Christopher Wray publicly testified that there were not any known election interference operations in the 2020 election, the officials said. The documents were requested by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who first raised concerns that the intelligence had not been fully investigated despite there being evidence of fake drivers' licenses. 'In accordance with Chairman Grassley's request for documents, I have immediately declassified the material and turned the document over to the Chairman for further review,' Patel said in a statement. Grassley's office has since requested additional documents from Patel in a letter, specifically one report from the FBI's Albany field office from September 2020. Sources familiar with the document told Just the News that the FBI report was based on a relatively new confidential source. The informant warned the agency that the Chinese government was producing fake U.S. drivers' licenses as a part of a plot to provide Chinese residents in the U.S. with forms of ID to vote in the 2020 election. These IDs would then be used to help the non-citizens vote using mail-in ballots, officials claim. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted nearly 20,000 fake licenses around the time of the intelligence report, officials claim. 'Chairman Grassley is in receipt of an FBI document responsive to a request he made based on legally protected whistleblower disclosures,' the senator's office said in a statement. 'The document alleges serious national security concerns that need to be fully investigated by the FBI.' 'Grassley is requesting additional documentation from the FBI to verify the production, and is urging the FBI to do its due diligence to investigate why the document was recalled, who recalled it and inform the American people of its findings.'
