EXCLUSIVE Exposed: 'DIY Ozempic' sellers putting lives at risk by peddling super cheap but super dangerous self-mixing weight loss drugs in booming black market
Cheap 'Do It Yourself Ozempic' is being sold across Britain in a booming black market that puts lives at risk, a Daily Mail investigation has found.
Scores of dealers based in the UK and China are using social media to openly advertise their cut-price illegal fat jabs to vulnerable people.
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Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Patsy Kensit reveals pals were banned from visiting her childhood home due to regular police raids as she opens up about profound impact of her 'villain' father's criminal career and association with gangsters the Krays
Patsy Kensit has always been open about her late father James' criminal career past. He was involved with notorious gangsters of the 1960s in London, including the Krays and the Richardsons, and had a total of nine convictions for theft. However, the actress, 57, has now revealed his actions had a profound impact on her growing up: 'I was never allowed to have play dates because the police could have turned the house over at any minute, but you just dealt with it'. 'It wasn't normal, but they were my family and I loved them. My father - God rest his soul - he was a rapscallion, but I adored him. Patsy's father James who passed away in 1987 was a pickpocket known as Jimmy the Dip and became friends with the Krays after they met as teenagers in an East End boxing club. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He was involved with notorious gangsters of the 1960s in London, including the Krays and the Richardsons, and had a total of nine convictions for theft (pictured with Patsy's mum Margaret) 'My dad was a villain. My father was in and out of prison throughout my whole life. When I was about ten, he went away for a little bit, and helping Her Majesty with her enquires my mother would say to us, but he was my Dad, and I loved him desperately. I was a little girl, and a lot of it, I was quite protected from.' Ronnie and Reggie Kray ruled the East End with a ruthless regime of murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets and beatings before their incarcerations in 1968. Ronnie died in 1995 aged 61, followed five years later by Reggie aged 66. The mother-of-two, who amid the chaos found fame as a child actress, once claimed that Reggie Kray would write her letters from prison, and was godfather to her brother, Jamie. Discussing her unconventional upbringing in a past interview with Michael Parkinson, the thespian continued, 'It was odd growing up, because I've got two beautiful sons, and their life is so different to mine'. 'I was competing for work at a young age, and dealing with rejection, and I'm glad - I wouldn't be here today, and I'm so grateful for that. I couldn't imagine my sons doing that.' Patsy first gained attention as a tot in adverts for Birds Eye frozen peas, before going on to star in 1974's The Great Gatsby with Mia Farrow and 1976's The Blue Bird with Elizabeth Taylor. In 2013 she told The Mirror how mum Margaret, who died in 1993, protected the actress and brother James from their father's shady dealings. 'Mum did everything she could to keep that side of things hidden from us, she must have loved my dad a great deal to turn a blind eye to his villainy.' She went on to recall how her father went on the run and the family fled to Paris and then the Caribbean, before returning to London where he was arrested. 'Having to flee our home like that could have been pretty traumatising for a child, but it didn't scar me, To be honest, I found it all very exciting'. 'I couldn't understand why mum looked so sad the entire time we were away. Now, of course, I know it was because dad was on the run'. Meanwhile she wrote in her memoir Absolute Beginner: 'We only ever got glimpses [of her father's criminal activities]' 'His associates used to come over and go into the sitting room, where Dad would draw the curtains. Jamie and I would have to leave, but we could hear them doing the count-up from outside the door'. She continued: 'Sometimes I'd accompany Dad to meetings with his associates at West End hotels, which I loved because all the posh hotels had swimming pools. I'd go for a swim while he chatted to his mates'. During her 2008 appearance on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are Patsy learned more about her father's past. James' criminal record revealed he was arrested for the first time aged 19, and was later charged with being an 'incorrigible rogue', a specific offence under the Vagrancy Act. Patsy said: 'I loved my father but hearing this saddens me.' Of more specific details in the programme, she confessed: 'I couldn't sleep because I was so traumatised by everything that we found. I became very protective of my father - not because I condone what he did, but because he's my dad and I love him' Although he was recruited directly to work in fraud by Charlie Richardson, Patsy was relieved to discover her father had not been directly responsible for any of their legendary beatings. However, Army records revealed her grandfather, another James, also earned a lengthy criminal record. A gunner in the First World War, he had to forfeit his medal after being sentenced to three years' penal servitude for bringing the Army into disrepute. His nine convictions dating from 1915 include robbery and using counterfeit coins.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
The crack-riddled seaside town where dealers flog £15k hauls in Asda bags and junkies hole up in filthy ‘death row'
DESPAIRING residents of a world-famous seaside town are so fed up of its drugs problem they are taking antidepressants. Bridlington, in East Yorkshire - once an upmarket and bustling resort - is still renowned for its excellent shellfish and is referred to as the Lobster Capital of Europe. 17 17 17 17 Tourists continue to flock to the area, which was used as a filming location for the 2016 remake of Dad's Army, to take advantage of its sandy beaches and funfair. But a short distance from the promenade, on Tennyson Avenue, also known as "death row", drug deals are taking place in broad daylight. The scruffy terraced street was once the pride of the town and home to upmarket B&Bs, but in recent years has suffered a sharp decline. The Victorian buildings, which retain little of their former grandeur, have been converted into HMOs and flats or else lie empty and boarded up. Shortly before 8.30am on a grey, cloudy morning, a scrawny woman walks along the street, which is littered with empty cider cans, clutching a bottle of vodka. Residents speak of being forced to defend themselves against "crack heads" and nightmare neighbours, who set fire to their flats. One pensioner says she used to be proud to call Tennyson Avenue home, but now barely recognises it. The woman, who was too scared to give us her name, said: "The best thing about Bridlington now is the road out of it. "Ex prisoners used to live next door, and they were drug taking and setting fire to the place. "It was 24/7. It was the first time in my life I had to get anti-depressants. "There is drug dealing going on all the time. There's a particular car I recognise and it's dropping things off all the time. "They deal everything, but it will definitely be crack cocaine. You see them outside houses waiting for drugs, doing their rain dance. "You can't go out now without your door locked. Houses around here are full of drugs. "When I moved here it was excellent. It was really quite wonderful. "I used to be proud to say, I live on Tennyson Avenue, but I'm not now. There's not much I can do, I have to live through it." 17 17 17 Simon Elvidge worked as a commercial diver before he was diagnosed with cancer and moved to the street. The 59-year-old has been forced to fend off drug takers determined to start fights while high on cocaine. He said: "This road used to be posh. But now it is full of druggies and drugs. "It has gradually become worse but I think this is happening to every seaside town. "They deal all sorts of drugs around here. At one point we had a place on the corner which used to house people coming out of jail. "That was a mini crime wave. They would shoplift to pay for their drugs. "The police are up and down all of the time. I worry about it but I can handle myself. I've had to do it a few times. "I've had to knock a few crack heads out. One time I had a guy who came up to me and wanted to start a fight. "But they don't even know what they're doing most of the time, they're so high. "I've been here six years but I came from a village to move here. "That was a huge eye opener for me." Left to rot Sat between Tennyson Avenue and the beach is a former HMO which is now boarded up and in a state of neglect. A sign stuck to the outside simply reads: "CLOSED. To protect your community from anti-social behaviour." Around the corner, CCTV cameras operate in the back alleyways and there are signs warning people not to fly-tip. One camera has been painted over, rendering it useless. 17 17 17 Tennyson Avenue was recently home to Michael Severn, until he was sent to prison for six-and-a-half years for drug dealing. Severn, 31, was found with an ASDA carrier bag between his legs containing £15,000 worth of cocaine. A local who didn't want to be named tells us he used to be part of the area's criminal activity before turning his life around. The young man said: "I grew up around here. It has gone really downhill. "It used to be a thriving town and it was a main seaside attraction but now lots of places have closed down. "Drug deals happen all down this road. They deal all kinds of drugs but definitely crack cocaine. 17 17 17 "I've had my own demons in the past but came out the other side. "I was homeless for months but I used my will power and stopped being around the wrong people. "All of the people who told me to hang around and stay are the ones still living in tents now. "There is one back alley just off this road where all of the druggies go to. "They are all over this area. You see them waiting around in plain sight." Desperate deprivation The most up-to-date figures released by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranked Bridlington South as the 45th most deprived area in England out of almost 33,000. In 2021 there were 30 drugs death in East Riding, up from 22 in 2020. And last year, Bridlington suffered the humiliation of being named the worst coastal resort in Yorkshire. In March, three criminals were sent down for a combined 17 years after flooding the town with £3million worth of crack cocaine. Lee Jenkinson, 32, Luke Gibson, 35, and Liam Langton, 27, were snared after a lengthy police probe into rising violence and drug activity between gangs in the town. 17 Georgina Marie is originally from Hull but moved to Bridlington to live with her partner. The tutor fears for the future of her one-year-old daughter. The 28-year-old said: "We live five minutes from the centre and people will openly drug deal in the middle of the afternoon in the street. "But they will admit to doing it. They don't hide it. "It's a lot of weed in the town centre but there's other drugs elsewhere. I worry for my little one. If I had my own way I'd live in the middle of nowhere and send her to a private school. Georgina "They are trying to make it a better area for the tourists rather than the people who live here. "We don't need a new car park, we need community centres for the kids. "A new car park will be great for the tourists but the locals won't use it. But instead kids are on the streets here because they have nowhere else to go. "I would go to the park as a kid but now they're not safe enough." "Now we see drug dealing in Bridlington and I worry it will escalate to people carrying knives etc. by the time my daughter is older." 17 17 A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council pointed to their Clear Hold Build scheme, which is a "concerted effort to improve quality of life in Bridlington, including by tackling organised crime and antisocial behaviour". They added: "The aim is to disrupt and dismantle Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) by clearing the area of OCGs, then building community resilience to prevent their return. "The council has also supported the police by using closure orders against council properties which have been the site of antisocial behaviour, to bring immediate relief to residents." Ian Foster, the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Humberside Police, said: "Over the past year our Neighbourhood Policing Team have been working relentlessly in Bridlington to tackle anyone who has been causing harm in the area. "We continue to take part in the multi-agency Home Office Clear Hold Build Initiative, which has involved large scale disruption of those involved in organised crime through warrants, arrests and charges. "As a result of our ongoing work through this initiative, since April 2024, the courts have issued a total of 99 years and five months in prison sentences in relation to organised crime in Bridlington. "With continued operations to tackle organised crime gangs and drugs dealing, such as Operation Shield, we continually gather intelligence, conduct Misuse of Drugs Act warrants and arrest and bring to justice those who commit drugs offences in our communities. "Throughout the summer months we have also been running Operation Coastline, our proactive approach to tackling crime in our coastal region as the number of visitors increases. "Bridlington is a fantastic place to live, work and visit and we are proud to be part of the community here. "I urge anyone with any concerns or information about crime to please get in touch via our non-emergency 101 line or speak to an officer on patrol."
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Garth Crooks gets driving ban: BBC football pundit blames hidden speed camera as he is ordered off the roads for six months for breaking 20mph limit
Former footballer turned BBC pundit Garth Crooks has been hit with a six-month driving ban after being caught speeding again. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker, 67, complained the speed camera that caught him was deliberately hidden but the magistrates disqualified him anyway. Stoke-on-Trent-born Crooks, who started his career with his home town club, went onto also play for Manchester United, WBA and Charlton Athletic before embarking on a media career with the BBC. He pleaded guilty to driving his silver 1.4 litre Mercedes A Class diesel hatchback in excess of 20mph along Camden Road, at the junction of Hillmarton Road, Holloway on January 3. Crooks, who lives in a £2m detached five-bedroom house in Kingston Hill, Kingston-upon-Thames, represented himself during the short hearing. Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court heard the camera captured three separate images of Crooks' vehicle travelling at 24mph. However, he asked the court for a 'little latitude' as he claimed the speed camera was behind 'two strategically positioned poles'. He already had nine penalty points on his licence for two speeding offences and for failing to comply with a traffic signal. Yesterday's three points triggered the automatic six-month ban for reaching twelve penalty points. Crooks - who was awarded the OBE in 1999 - told the court he was now 'retired' and in receipt of a £118,000 a year pension. Showing magistrates photographs of the camera that caught him Crooks said: 'I have come here today to admit my guilt of driving at twenty-four miles per hour in a twenty mile an hour zone. 'I ask for a little latitude. The speed camera was behind two poles, obliterating my sight lines. 'Had it not been for two strategically positioned poles I would have seen the camera and mediated my speed. 'I ask the court to look at the pictures of the proximity of the posts.' Bench Chairman D Simms told Crooks: 'We have observed the photographs and how the camera is situated, but the speed limit does apply to that road at all times. 'It is not a case that you should modify your speed by seeing the camera. You were speeding and that's why you are in court today.' Crooks, who won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981 and 1982, along with the UEFA Cup in 1984 was fined £666, with £110 costs and ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge. 'It is the lowest level of seriousness for this offence,' added Mr Simms. 'However, you have nine points on your record and this makes twelve points so you are disqualified from driving for six months for a totting offence. 'The offence of driving while disqualified is taken very seriously and could attract a custodial sentence.
