Pensioner denies causing death of paedophile rugby player David Tweed
A north Antrim pensioner today denied causing the death of paedophile and ex-Ireland international rugby player David Tweed.
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BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
35 people including children deported from Ireland to Nigeria
35 people, including five children, 21 males and nine females, were deported from Ireland on Wednesday. The children were all part of family groups, gardaí said. Advertisement They were removed on a chartered flight which left Dublin Airport for Nigeria last night. Gardaí from the National Immigration Bureau carried out the operation of removing individuals from the State. A garda statement said that they continue to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Where are Ireland's Crown Jewels? New Mail podcast delves into one of history's greatest unsolved mysteries
Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify On the latest episode of the Mail's Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things podcast, historian Kate Williams and Royal biographer Robert Hardman investigate one of Ireland's greatest unsolved mysteries. In 1907, Ireland was part of the British Empire and followed the customs of the British monarchy. One such custom was the use of Crown Jewels, important ceremonial treasures, to bestow Knighthoods upon members of the Irish aristocracy. Ireland's Crown Jewels were kept safe in Dublin Castle by The Order of St Patrick on behalf of Edward VII, the King of Britain at the time. The collection comprised a diamond pendant and badge, five gold collars, and nearly 400 precious stones. The Order of St Patrick's jewels, as they are known, have an estimated value today of nearly $20 million. Despite the castle being under constant surveillance, the treasures went missing on July 6, sending Edward VII into a fury and creating an Empire-wide manhunt. Even though financial rewards were offered for information on their whereabouts, the Crown Jewels remain missing to this day. Search for 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday. The Vanishing of the Irish Crown Jewels Edward VII was scheduled to visit Ireland in July 1907 to bestow a knighthood upon Lord Castletown. The jewels would have been used in the ceremony. Historian Kate Williams told the podcast how the jewels were kept secure for the upcoming Royal visit. 'They were kept very carefully', Williams said. 'A man called Sir Arthur Vickers, The Ulster King of Arms oversees them. They are held at Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle. 'They seem very secure – they're in a strong room, alongside Ireland's Sword of State. There are only seven keys to get into the tower and two keys to enter the strong room. Everyone thinks the security is foolproof.' Williams then explained how the theft was discovered and the accusations surrounding the character of Sir Arthur Vickers, the treasure's protector. 'The jewels are found to be missing on July 6 – they haven't been seen since the 11th of June. 'Vickers was accused of being careless. Many people began to claim that he had given them access to the tower and that there were various security lapses. 'On one occasion, Vickers had gotten drunk, and a young man had taken the keys to the safe. He then stole the jewels and sent them back to Vickers by post as a joke.' The heist was carried out completely undetected. Due to the King's public anger and huge media speculation, a strange cast of characters began offering to help locate the stolen treasure. 'Psychics say they know where they are, and people begin hunting fruitlessly around graveyards. 'Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes author, offers to help. He's a distant cousin of Vickers.' The police launched a nationwide investigation to find the jewels. A reward of £1000 was offered for information, worth around £80,000 today. The authorities' prime suspect was Francis Richard Shackleton, the brother of famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Williams told the podcast why suspicions centered around him. 'Apparently, he was in great financial difficulty', the historian said. 'As Dublin Herald of Arms, he had gotten hold of a key to the safe and had made a copy. The problem for the police was, he had a good alibi. 'He wasn't actually in the country at the time of the robbery.' Shackleton later defrauded an aristocrat, Lord Ronald Gower, of his fortune in 1910 and was sentenced to fifteen months' hard labour for the crime. One theory states that the reason why the heist was never solved was that Shackleton, a known homosexual at a time when it was illegal, had used Dublin Castle for liaisons with high-profile figures in Irish society. Further investigations into his character were abandoned because pursuing that line of inquiry could have implicated members of the aristocracy in illegal sex acts at a time when British rule over Ireland was fiercely challenged. The mystery of the jewels of St Patrick's remains unsolved.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Reason Brit 'drug mules' are 'flavour of the month' for shady gangs is exposed
Recently, Bella Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested in Georgia and Charlotte May Lee, from Coulsdon in London, allegedly had a synthetic strain of cannabis in her luggage in Sri Lanka Party-going Brits are the "flavour of the month" for drug smuggler gangs, experts warned today. Insiders say Brits are being recruited on the promise of quick cash and the "perfect package" luxury holiday in the likes of Thailand and Indonesia. However, some are never making it home - or are absent for months - because they are being banged up in hellhole jails for drug smuggling offences. Bella Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, and Charlotte May Lee, from Coulsdon, south London, are just two of the several Brits to be lured into the murky world recently. However, in a case that has bucked the trend, a 79-year-old William 'Billy Boy' Eastment, of Somerset, was arrested in Chile last week after a Mexican gang allegedly promised him £3.7million to smuggle a suitcase of crystal meth from Cancun. And experts say the variety highlights how age isn't a barrier for these gangs. One drugs expert said: "They recruit anyone they think looks innocent enough to get through customs, and yet still be dodgy enough to do the deal." Airport security - both in the UK and abroad - is now said to be on high alert for suspicious behaviour that staff may associate with drug smuggling. Culley, for instance, was snagged in Georgia after allegedly carrying 14kg of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation from Thailand, where she had been holidaying. And Lee, a former TUI flight attendant, is locked up in a Sri Lankan prison after police allegedly discovered 46kg of "Kush" - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. A flurry of similar cases have followed including 36-year-old OnlyFans model Clara Wilson, from Nottinghamshire, 21-year-old Cameron Bradford, from Hertfordshire, and 29-year-old Kimberly Hall, from Middlesbrough, who have all been arrested on suspicion of smuggling abroad. Gary Carroll, an expert witness in drug cases, told Mail Online crooks are targeting young people, particularly women, on social media. Mr Carroll, who spent 14 years in policing before becoming a witness, told the publication: "It's (social media) created a gateway for suppliers to target and make connections with young, well-travelled, glamorous ladies and girls that are seeking that ability to travel the world and afford to do so. "Smuggling drugs or packages where they're not entirely sure of the contents in exchange for free holidays and cash seems quite a lucrative offer." Mr Carroll, from Claymore Advisory Group, said he has worked on cases where the "common denominator" is free accommodation, free flights, spending money and some cash with which to come home. He added: "I've even seen business class being thrown in there to sweeten the deal. It's almost the perfect package for those that want to travel, take all the pictures for social media at no expense of their own." Dr David Holmes, a leading criminal psychologist, warned Brits to be vigilant on holiday as he said some gang members will brazenly approach tourists on beaches with offers to join the murky underworld. He said: "It's anyone they think looks innocent enough to get through customs, and yet still be dodgy enough to do the deal. It may be that Brits are the flavour of the month - and I would imagine it's quite more likely that Brits are the flavour of the month with airport security.. That's why they are being picked up more, because they are being picked on more." Police in Sri Lanka, meanwhile, insist Lee - arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle 101lb (46kg) the synthetic strain of cannabis into the country - is "in a lot of trouble". The Brit faces up to 25 years in a tough maximum-security jail in Sri Lanka if she is convicted.
