Headlines: Mischief of mice and nightclub security
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
Our pick of local website stories
A Bristol nightclub is increasing its security measures in a bid to stop needle spiking. Daisy's in Clifton now requires two forms of ID upon entry and has hired private paramedics to patrol the dancefloor in case of an emergency.A series of colourful murals painted by a local artist and teacher have been unveiled in a forgotten Salisbury alleyway. After more than a year of work, the Pepys' Walk Mural has transformed the dingy space.A mischief of mice turned a Swindon celebrity's Ferrari into a "£200k mouse house." Matt Fiddes, Michael Jackson's former bodyguard, found the rodents had chewed through the wiring after seeking refuge during the cold winter.The owner of Pontins holiday park has been charged with corporate manslaughter after an air conditioning duct fell on guests at the Brean resort. Among them was grandmother Wendy Jones, 68, who died after six months in hospital.
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A Taunton man currently experiencing homelessness has been inundated with job offers, after his makeshift sign appealing for work attracted attention online. A surgical robot at Royal United Hospitals Bath has enhanced prostate cancer surgeries by providing better precision and accuracy. This enhances recovery times and allows for same-day discharge for eligible patients.Three people have been arrested after an activist group targeted an insurance company in Bristol by spraying the offices with red paint. Palestine Action claims Allianz provide mandatory insurance for Elbit Systems, Israel's biggest arms firm.Slimbridge Wetland Centre is nearing the finish line for its Estuary Shoreline transformation project, turning the old Flamingo 'snake-way' into an all-weather event space with wetland wildflower meadows.
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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Former West Ham star Dimitri Payet has contract ripped up leaving him unemployed after shocking abuse claims
DIMITRI PAYET had his contract ripped up to leave him unemployed. It comes just weeks after shocking abuse claims against the ex-West Ham man. 4 Payet, 38, joined Brazilian side Vasco da Gama on a two-year contract in August 2023. However, the club announced the decision to cut the deal short. They wrote on social media: "Vasco da Gama announces that, in a friendly manner, it has reached an agreement to terminate the contract with midfielder Dimitri Payet early. "The club thanks the athlete for the professionalism, dedication and respect demonstrated throughout his time at Sao Januario, and wishes him success in his next challenges. "For Vasco, Payet played 77 matches, scored eight goals and contributed 16 assists. "Thank you, Payet. This is Vasco." Payet hit headlines in April when his . The , SunSport revealed. Brazilian lawyer Ferrari, 28, also said the former French international Payet made her partake in a fake wedding and wear a ring to 'prove her love'. She claimed he made her drink her own urine and water from the toilet, and lick the floor - plus showed SunSport photos of her bruises. Premier League cult hero Dimitri Payet rolls back the years as he humiliates opponent with unique 360-nutmeg The mum-of-two said: 'He's a sick monster. I was scared for my life, and I'm still scared." Payet denied "physical and psychological violence" in a statement to the police in Brazil, adding that everything was consensual and proposed by his accuser. The playmaker has four children with his wife of nearly 20 years, Ludivine, who remained in France after he joined Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro in 2023. Before that, he had six-and-a-half years with Marseille, joining the French side for £25million following an impressive 18 months with West Ham. 4 4
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Prosecutors in sexual assault case against Dimitri Payet 'seek dismissal due to lack of evidence' - with former West Ham star accused of forcing ex-mistress to 'film bizarre sex acts' and 'drink her own urine'
Prosecutors in the sexual and physical assault case against Dimitri Payet have requested for the complaint to be dismissed, reports in Brazil claim. The former West Ham and France star stands accused of 'physical and psychological violence' towards his former 'mistress', Brazilian lawyer Larissa Natalya Ferrari, who was allegedly forced to drink her own urine and lick the floor during a turbulent seven-month affair. Last month, Brazilian outlet G1 claimed to have obtained a document with details of the case in which the lawyer attested to suffering from borderline personality disorder, believing the former Rio de Janeiro-based Vasco da Gama star took advantage of her condition. 'Dimitri knew about my passion and psychological problems, using this against me,' she is reported to have said by G1. 'Dimitri convinced me to put my head in the trash, in the toilet, made me drink my own urine and other sexual bizarre acts.' However, according to RMC Sport via Brazilian outlet Extra, the prosecutor's office is now seeking to dismiss the complaint due to a lack of evidence required to charge the 38-year-old. The report states that the plaintiff's defence has appealed the decision. Last month reports claimed that Payet had denied 'physical and psychological violence' towards his 'mistress' in a statement to Brazilian police. The Frenchman was reportedly heard at the Women's Assistance Police Station where he admitted to having a relationship with Ferrari but insisted every act during their union was consensual. Furthermore, Payet, who left his wife of almost 20 years Ludivine and their four children back in his homeland during his time in Brazil, was alleged to have admitted to the acts but maintained that they were consensual and proposed by Ferrari. G1's report mentioned an encounter when Ferrari 'requested slaps during sexual intercourse' and as a result, developed marks on her body. The Frenchman also reportedly claimed that the two used wooden chairs during sexual intercourse, and that, due to Ferrari's light skin, any pressure would lead to marks. It followed Ferrari's impassioned public plea for 'justice', in a statement in which she claimed to have been 'humiliated' by the 38-cap former Les Blues star. 'I want justice because he abused my psychological vulnerability to gain sexual advantage,' she told AFP. 'He demanded proof of love from me, which consisted of humiliation. 'I recorded videos in which I drank my urine, drank water from the toilet bowl, and licked the floor. I'm a lawyer, I would never have made such serious complaints lightly.' It was claimed that Payet refused Ferrari's desire to continue this relationship in France, on the condition he pay her expenses, as his time in the country approached its end. According to the player, the lawyer's behaviour changed from then on, leading to her threatening to 'expose his secrets' if he did not respond within four hours of her birthday message. Payet's lawyer Sheila Lustoza told G1: 'It is regrettable that confidential records were leaked, but the case reveals with evidence something that is very clear: a woman exercising her freedom and will, as it should be, contrary to what has been publicly narrated up until now. The defense is confident that the truth that is proven by documents will demonstrate these facts.' Payet is widely regarded as one of West Ham's most talented players this century but left under a cloud to re-join Marseille after just 18 months in 2017. He stays at the Stade Velodrome for six-and-a-half years before moving to Brazil in 2023. In March, Larissa revealed that they had had a seven-month affair. She wrote in a lengthy statement: 'One thing I want to make clear is that it was never about money. There was no need for it. 'There's not much I can say because there's no explanation or anything to justify it. 'But one thing I want to make extremely clear is that it was never for money, not before, not now. In fact, the last time I went to Rio, I went by bus.' Larissa, who is a mother of two, also claimed that she only got physically involved with the midfielder following her divorce from her ex-husband.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Inside the deserted steel town where 10,000 buildings sit abandoned
An Indiana border city is undergoing a makeover following six decades of decline which earned it the moniker 'Scary Gary'. The now crime-ravaged metropolis was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who founded US Steel and built what is still the conglomerate's biggest plant there in the summer of 1908. Gary grew into a prosperous industrial powerhouse which provided the raw materials for many of America's bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers over the first half of the 20th century. It's also known for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson in 1958, and where he grew up with his brothers before they became the Jackson Five. But the once-booming city crumbled into chaos following the decline of the American steel industry in the 1970s, as foreign steel imports outpaced domestic production. Its overall population plummeted from 180,000 people in 1960 to less than half that number today - and around 10,000 buildings now lay abandoned. Although Gary has long been a diverse city, the exodus also dramatically changed its racial dynamics. Much of the steel workers who left were white, meaning the black and Hispanic share of the population rose from 21 percent in 1930 to around 87 percent in 2020. This dwarfs the national median of 27 crimes per square mile - and it's also a whopping 149 percent higher than the Indiana median of 20 crimes per square mile. Residents told Santanello they're terrified to walk down the streets at night out of fear of being robbed - or even shot - amid a sprawl of decaying buildings and abandoned homes. But the Rust Belt city harbors 'the recipe for success' thanks to its strong infrastructure, according to its new Democrat Mayor Eddie Melton (pictured). 'We have to change the narrative and make it clear to the world that Gary is open to business,' Melton told the New York Times. Gary sits on the banks of Lake Michigan just across the Illinois border from Chicago, and it has easy access to the arterial railroads it once helped build. It also straddles a shipping port to the north, and Indiana Dunes National Park to the east, which attracts almost three million tourists each year. Melton's administration has begun tearing down old buildings to make way for new developments, with plans to construct a casino and a minor league ballpark. Officials hope Gary will grow into an urban hub which will provide a cheaper alternative to neighboring Chicago, where rents have rocketed in recent years. The average home in the city currently stands at just $69,725 according to Zillow, a price which pales in comparison with the Chicago average of $279,118. It's also much lower than the cost of buying a home in the nearby Indiana city of Fort Wayne, which has an average of $215,237 per Zillow. Nearby transport systems are also in the process of receiving a boost, including a $127 million grant for Interstates 80 and 94, which traverse Gary. Meanwhile, the South Shore Line, a commuter rail link which connects Chicago with northwest Indiana cities, is set to open a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City. The Gary/Chicago International Airport was also given a $6 million grant from the federal government allowing it to add more cargo capacity, with the aiming of it becoming a logistics hub for the United Parcel Service. However, officials who want to see improvements from within the city itself will also have to contend with Gary's status as a political outlier and border city which has also historically held it back. As a smaller, majority Democratic city within a large conservative county within a Republican stronghold state, Gary officials have often been obstructed by more powerful lawmakers. Gary has elected a succession of Democrat mayors since 1943, while the Indiana State Senate currently has 39 Republican members and 10 Dems. The assembly has blocked several initiatives which would have allowed the city to expand its tax base - while also offering scarce funding due to concerns over corruption, according to the NYT. 'Gary was held captive to what the other cities in its county wanted to do,' Paul Helmke, the former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne told the newspaper. The much-contested acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel could also affect yet more American jobs. US Steel's largest plant, Gary Works, employs around 3,700 people - down from more than 30,000 at its peak. Previous plans to transform Gary have also been canned, including a multibillion-dollar scheme to construct a theme park based on the city's reputation as the birthplace of the Jackson Five. 'We certainly missed an opportunity to make it like a Dollywood, a Graceland,' said Chuck Hughes, the president of the Gary Chamber of Commerce told the NYT.
