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Body found in search for missing Brit 2 weeks after vanishing in Alps having sent last text saying ‘I've lost the trail'

Body found in search for missing Brit 2 weeks after vanishing in Alps having sent last text saying ‘I've lost the trail'

The Irish Sun17-07-2025
A BODY has been found in the search for the British hiker who went missing in Italy two weeks ago.
Matthew Hall, 33, disappeared while walking in the Italian Alps - and a body was found close to a mountain viewpoint above the town of Chiavenna, where he had been staying.
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A poster calling for help in the search for Matthew
Credit: MEN Media
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A body has been found in the search for Matthew Hall
Credit: MEN Media
Matthew sent a last text to friends saying that he had lost the trail before he vanished.
He also sent a photograph of the Cross of Daloo - the viewpoint close to where the body was located.
This clue led to an intense search of the trails in the surrounding area after Matthew was reported missing.
Italian police said the body was found at 19:00 local time and that Matthew's family has been informed, reports the BBC.
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The Brit had beem was staying at the B&B Ploncher hotel when he disappeared on July 9.
It's believed he was planning to complete an eight-hour trek.
But after he set off, he sent a text message to a friend saying he had taken a wrong turn and was having a rest.
After not hearing from him again, friends travelled to the town to help with the search and spread the message Matthew was missing.
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Matthew began his solo hiking trip on July 5, and was due to fly back from Milan to Manchester on July 12.
his family and friends have praised the Italian police and local rescue teams for their efforts in the search.
More to follow...
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
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Sleepy Cotswolds village swarmed by TWENTY secret service agents as Kamala Harris attends Steve Jobs' daughter's wedding
Sleepy Cotswolds village swarmed by TWENTY secret service agents as Kamala Harris attends Steve Jobs' daughter's wedding

The Irish Sun

time24 minutes ago

  • The Irish Sun

Sleepy Cotswolds village swarmed by TWENTY secret service agents as Kamala Harris attends Steve Jobs' daughter's wedding

LOCALS in a sleepy village were stunned when Secret Service agents swarmed a pub to whisk in Kamala Harris for billionaire heiress Eve Jobs's £100,000 pre-wedding party. Some 20 men in suits with earpieces manned Cotswolds boozer The Bull for five hours to ensure the former US Vice President was safe. 13 Kamala Harris was whisked into a Cotswolds pub by Secret Service agents for a pre-wedding bash Credit: Click News and Media 13 Friends and family gather at The Bull for Eve Jobs' wedding Credit: Chris Eades 13 Some 20 men guarded Cotswolds pub The Bull Credit: Click News and Media 13 Eve Jobs pictured at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2023 Credit: Getty They all stood with their hands together in the 'rapid response position' and came and left in a fleet of blacked-out Range Rovers and Mercedes vehicles. Punters at the pub in Charlbury, Oxfordshire - which has a population of just 3,521 - were flabbergasted when they saw the huge security detail. One told The Sun: 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 'There were men in black and blue suits, a guy in a leather jacket and more security outside doing frequent checks of the area. 'I was stood at the bar having a pint and there was a bald bloke sat on a stall on his own just drinking water all night. 'He was clearly part of the operation and sat quietly watching everyone around him with intent. 'It's been the talk of the village - it's the most exciting thing that's happened here for a very long time.' Democrat Harris, 60, who lost last year's US election to Donald Trump, stayed until the bash ended just before 11pm. Most read in Celebrity She has been a close friend of late Apple chief Steve Jobs's widow Laurene Powell Jobs, 61, for 20 years. 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Sick crimes of Eunuch Maker ‘admired by Brit surgeon' who paid men £25k to slice off genitals and sold body parts online
Sick crimes of Eunuch Maker ‘admired by Brit surgeon' who paid men £25k to slice off genitals and sold body parts online

The Irish Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Sick crimes of Eunuch Maker ‘admired by Brit surgeon' who paid men £25k to slice off genitals and sold body parts online

HE dubbed himself 'The Eunuch Maker' and sold gruesome videos of human butchery to hundreds around the world - with an amputee Brit surgeon now accused of buying them. 15 Neil Hopper claimed to have lost his legs to sepsis but is accused of causing the injuries himself Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 15 Hopper had allegedly bought gruesome videos from the so-called 'human butcher' Credit: Instagram 15 Marius Gustavson - otherwise known as the 'Eunuch Maker' Credit: Metropolitan Police 15 A screenshot from Gustavson's sick castration-fetish forum Credit: Metropolitan Police Until yesterday, it was believed that But Hopper is now accused of causing these injuries himself, possibly inspired by videos he'd bought off cannibalistic Gustavsen - and he'd allegedly also encouraged the "human butcher" to chop up even more people. Hopper - charged with fraud and with encouraging grievous bodily harm - was far from the only person potentially linked with Gustavson. The Norwegian was the ringleader of a website on which 22,000 online subscribers tuned in to watch live-streamed videos of the Read More Features He headed a subculture obsessed with severing genitals, trading body parts, and even eating them - and pocketing hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process. Gustavson - who was sent to jail in May 2024 - cut off his own penis, removed his nipple, and had his leg frozen so that it had been amputated. Yet despite his vile crimes, to many, now-jailed Marius Gustavson was a hero - or even a god. 'That website made it feel normal. I still thought I was in control,' said one victim, Michael. Most read in The Sun 'He then went to his wardrobe and brought out the clamps. 'That was the moment I knew I'd screwed up.' Sickening crimes of the 'Eunuch Maker' who offered desperate men £25k to lop off their genitals with kitchen knives Despite being sentenced to life in prison, Marius is unrepentant for his crimes, as revealed in a documentary investigation by Marcel Theroux earlier this year. Isolated misfit Born in 1977, Marius grew up in a rural village on the outskirts of Drammen, a city near the capital Oslo. News of his gruesome crimes sent shockwaves throughout the small community. Remembering him as a tender-hearted boy who struggled to fit in, nothing had hinted towards who he would turn into. 'He was definitely not one of the cool kids, and probably lacked some social skills,' remembers Camilla, one of his former classmates. Growing up as an only child in this isolated village, Marius would stay closeted until his late teams. 15 While living in Norway, Gustavson went to prison for eight months after embezzling £30,000 Credit: Facebook 15 The knife used to castrate Gustavson Credit: PA By high school he had started to come out of his shell, and afterwards went on to become a leading figure in the Drammen LGBT activist scene. Soon after, however, he would have his first brush with the law - embezzling £5,000 worth of goods via the housing association he was leader of. A couple years later, he did it again - this time embezzling £30,000, for which he served eight months in prison. But despite what friends and family saw, Marius had long been set on the path that was to plunge him into the subculture of mutilation and castration. What got me through the day was the next bit of fun I'd have - BDSM, bondage, sadomasochism Michael In the documentary, Theroux paid him an off-camera visit in Wandsworth Prison shortly after he pleaded guilty. Marius reveals that aged 14 he became fascinated with a picture in a book of an Indian eunuch with their genitalia entirely removed. 'That's who I am,' he told Theroux. Sick website In 2012, Marius left Norway for London after the breakdown of his marriage, immersing himself in a subculture of people obsessed with becoming a 'nullo' - short for genital nullification. Soon he created his website - The Eunuch - an online forum on which users were able to create profiles that detailed what they wanted done to them, share pictures and videos, and buy the amputated organs. Marius himself went by the username of Theo - the Greek word for god. With a growing online reputation, he finally had his own penis removed in 2017. Audio recordings played during his sentencing captured moments castrations had gone wrong, forcing him to Images of Marius posing with a severed penis and putting it in his mouth were also shown. Other acts of butchery were carried out with kitchen knives, with amputated genitalia kept in the fridge to be sold on. 15 Images of Gustavson putting a severed penis in his mouth were shown to the Old Bailey 15 Hopper allegedly encouraged Gustavson to carry out more mutilations Credit: Instagram Michael, who has kept his surname anonymous, was introduced to Marius via a friend in the London kink scene in 2018. 'I was in a really bad place - I had a spiralling drug addiction, was depressed and suicidal,' he said. 'What got me through the day was the next bit of fun I'd have - BDSM, bondage, sadomasochism.' Meeting him for the first time, he was shocked to see that Marius had intentionally removed his own leg by submerging it in a bucket of dry ice for eight hours. 'He said he'd thought it would be cool not to have one,' Michael told the documentary. 'I just thought f*** - this guy's actually serious about what he's doing.' Making it clear he didn't want to receive any permanent damage, Michael and Marius enjoyed a night of bondage and torture. Marius then revealed his website to Michael, encouraging him to join. Farmyard clamps Though originally against the idea of castration, his mind was slowly being warped by world Marius had opened the door to. 'That website made it feel normal,' he continued. 'You were told all the benefits, how you could control your hormones, your sex drive. You'd feel empowered, you'll feel better - no one said anything negative about it. 'He sent me a tariff of what videos would earn me in revenue: £5-7,000 for a testicle removal, £15-25,000 for losing your c**k.' Temptation had won out, and Michael removed his limit of no permanent damage. 'I still thought I was in control. I was absolutely convinced. 15 A pair of clamps similar to the ones used by Gustavson to perform his castrations Credit: wikipedia 'Then the next week, he said, 'Hey, we'll castrate you then'. And so we started planning.' Michael went up to London and met Marius in his flat. He got himself strapped down and took some drugs, at which point Marius fetched his instrument of choice - a pair of clamps normally used to castrate farm animals - all while the camera was pointed towards him. 'Never in my darkest dreams had I thought about those,' Michael continued. 'The pain was something else. But instead of calling for a stop to it, I just asked for more drugs. After an hour with the blood supply cut off, both his testicles were dead. Now back home, they had swelled up to the size of a melon. What is gender dysphoria? GENDER dysphoria is a psychological condition characterised by distress or discomfort that arises when there is a difference between a person's gender identity and their sex assigned from birth. This condition can cause severe emotional and psychological distress, impacting an individual's well-being and quality of life. Sometimes, these feelings can cause individuals to feel a sense of shame or self-hatred towards certain parts of their body - often the genitalia, as this is the part of the body most strongly associated with one's sex. Gender dysphoria is also not always as simple as someone feeling as if they ought to have been born the opposite gender. Sometimes it manifests itself as more general feeling of sexual and gender confusion, without any clear "solution." Therapy and other psychological interventions are often used to help individuals for whom their gender dysphoria is impacting their quality of life. Find out more at 'I remember lying in bed, in absolute agony, as the video was posted. Then the messages started coming: 'So cool', 'So hot'. 'A little eunuch badge appeared on my profile because I'd had a verified castration. 'The absolute celebration of it all - it was wonderful. It gave my profile clout. 'It was like fine, I'm committed now, so I agreed to have everything off.' Perverted accomplices Though the mastermind behind the website, Marius didn't always work alone. One, Damien Byrnes, had threatened to go to the police after never receiving money he had been promised for removing his penis - but was blackmailed into backing down with a video that showed him mutilating Marius. Another was a man called David Carruthers. Having worked for the NHS, he convinced Michael that he would be able to safely remove his dead testicles - despite not actually holding any medical qualifications. 15 David Carruthers convinced Michael that he would be able to safely remove his testicles Credit: Metropolitan Police 15 Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison Credit: PA 15 Nathan Arnold, 48, was given a two year suspended sentence for partially removing Gustavson's right nipple Credit: PA Michael, Marius and David then rented an AirBnB in which they were to perform the operation. But it was to lead to the Eunuch Maker's downfall. Lying on a bed with forceps hanging off him, Michael finally realised the terrible mistake he had made. 'At that point I'd realised how much damage Gustavson had done to me,' Michael recalled. 'I'd realised he had been talking bulls*** so much up until that point. I started to see that he was just a butcher. 'I remember lying on the bed... thinking I don't care if I live or die, I just want to hurt him. 'Sure enough, he was out of there before I could stand up - all his camera equipment packed up and he had p**sed off.' I remember him saying, 'If we don't do this, you'll be really disappointed. You were born to do this' Anonymous victim Despite his ordeal, Michael never received any of the money he had been promised. His counsellor gave him an ultimatum - either Michael had to go to the police, or they would - so eventually he told them everything. The subsequent police raid in 2021 uncovered hours of gruesome footage dating back seven years. No choice But while Marius did put pressure on his victims to undergo castration, many hold zero regrets about what they went through. Unable to go through the NHS, Marius was the only way they could overcome their feelings of self-hatred. One anonymous man who spoke to Theroux told of how for a long time he had struggled with his sexuality, harbouring a deep desire to rid himself of his testicals. After joining the website and having a few meetings with Marius, he agreed to have a testicle removed. 15 Retired chemist Peter Wates removed a man's testicle in a hotel room, while Gustavson filmed Credit: Metropolitan Police 15 Damien Byrnes, 36, from Tottenham, was sentenced to five years in prison Credit: PA 15 HMP Wandsworth, where Gustavson was held after pleading guilty Credit: Getty 'He never did anything against my will, but he did put pressure on me,' he said. 'I remember him saying, 'If we don't do this, you'll be really disappointed. You were born to do this.'' He later met with Marius and an accomplice called Peter Wates to finish the job. 'I was delighted,' he continued. 'I have an enduring sense of gratitude to Marius for helping me reach a position that medically in the UK isn't possible.' Edward, who was castrated in 2017, had originally been sympathetic towards Marius. But this sympathy evaporated after he attended the sentencing. 'I shall always worry that Marius used a video of my procedure to persuade someone else to do something they didn't really want to do,' he said. Marius himself had earned over £300,000 from his website. He was charged with multiple counts of grievous bodily harm, possession of extreme pornography, and for making an indecent image of a child. The court sentenced him to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 22 years. The botched operations nearly led to the deaths of three men, with the judge describing his actions as little short of human butchery. A further nine accomplices were also charged and sentenced. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.

Brit teen, 16, ‘raped' while swimming at popular beach on Greek holiday island as tourist, 15, arrested
Brit teen, 16, ‘raped' while swimming at popular beach on Greek holiday island as tourist, 15, arrested

The Irish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Brit teen, 16, ‘raped' while swimming at popular beach on Greek holiday island as tourist, 15, arrested

A BRITISH teenager has allegedly been raped in the sea off a popular Greek holiday island. The 16-year-old girl reported the alleged assault on Monday during a trip with her family. Advertisement 2 A British teen has been allegedly raped in the sea off a beach in the island of Rhodes Credit: Alamy 2 The 16-year-old was on a family holiday in Ialysos Credit: Getty The incident is said to have happened in broad daylight at Rhodes' Ialysos beach - in front of a hotel packed with guests. According to Greek outlet She claimed she had been sexually assaulted just 20 minutes earlier while swimming with a 15-year-old Belgian boy in the sea. The pair had reportedly formed a friendly relationship during their stay at the same hotel. Advertisement Read more world news But the girl told officers the boy allegedly assaulted her in the water twice without her consent. The girl's statement - given in the presence of a psychologist as required under Greek law - was described as "clear," with the minor insisting the acts were carried out against her will. The 15-year-old suspect, when questioned, did not deny the contact but claimed it had been consensual, according to Dimokratiki. He alleged the girl did not object during the alleged incident. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Latest Exclusive But cops took swift action with the boy arrested at 10pm that same evening, and a rape case was filed against him. He was brought before the Public Prosecutor, who referred the case to an investigating officer for further legal proceedings. Inside Ibiza 'death hotel' on lockdown after 2 Brits die in a month… as rooftop guards watch tourists & parties banned Both the British and Belgian consular authorities have been informed, Dimokratiki reports. The Sun has contacted the UK Foreign Office for more information. Advertisement It comes after another The 18-year-old woman reportedly filed a complaint in the early hours of Sunday after a night out at a shopping mall popular with young partygoers. A 19-year-old man was since arrested in connection with the incident. According to local reports, she had been seen with the man prior to the alleged attack. Advertisement Greek authorities launched an immediate investigation, which led to the arrest of the Italian national.

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