‘I'd rather have a pile of rubbish:' Witness defends contract delays in eThekwini fraud trial
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why the deadly Apple Store crash trial has been delayed yet again
In a case one judge said "has grown whiskers," the trial of Bradley Rein, the man accused of killing one person and injuring 22 others when his SUV crashed into the Hingham Apple Store, has been yet again delayed. The trial is now set for May 23, 2026. Rein, 54, of Hingham, faces charges – including second-degree murder – in the death of Kevin Bradley, 65, of New Jersey, as well as 18 counts of aggravated assault and battery and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation. Authorities say Rein's 2019 Toyota 4Runner accelerated to 60 mph in five seconds before plowing through the glass storefront of the Derby Street Shops Apple Store on Nov. 21, 2022, only stopping when it hit a back wall. The trial was initially scheduled for December 2025, then moved to March, and now again to May. The delays stem from ongoing legal battles over evidence requested by the defense, which argues the crash may have resulted from a vehicle malfunction, not driver error. Defense attorney Joan Fund says an expert has found discrepancies between the SUV's electronic data recorder and Rein's statements, suggesting the car may not have responded properly to braking. Fund is seeking multiple years of Toyota documentation on similar unintended acceleration issues and has already obtained related records from Herb Chambers Toyota of Quincy. 'Without this information, which I submit to the court is exculpatory, the defense cannot present its case,' she said. Exculpatory refers to evidence that can clear someone from guilt. Prosecutors object to the request, calling it speculative and overly broad. Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney David Cutshall said Rein never claimed the vehicle malfunctioned. 'In every version, he accepted responsibility,' Cutshall said, referencing Rein's earlier explanations that he either pressed the gas instead of the brake or that his foot got caught between the pedals. Plymouth County Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea previously denied defense motions to suppress Rein's police statements and phone data, ruling that Rein was not misled and had voluntarily waived his rights. The judge presiding over the May 27 hearing, Gregg Pasquale, acknowledged the complexity of the case and allowed time for Toyota to respond to the request, which could include objecting to it or seeking to quash it entirely. A compliance hearing is scheduled for June 16 to allow both sides to review any materials produced, give Toyota the chance to respond and address next steps. Since his release on $100,000 bail, Rein has violated probation multiple times. He served 60 days in jail in 2023 for letting his GPS ankle monitor battery die, was later found intoxicated at home and missed required check-ins and testing in 2024. The court has since added a continuous alcohol-monitoring device and warned further violations could result in bail revocation. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Second-degree murder trial delayed to May 2026 in Hingham Apple Store crash.
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Betting site bans individual over heckling incident with Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas
A sports bettor who heckled Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas during a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia over the weekend has been banned by the betting site FanDuel Sportsbook. In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday, FanDuel wrote it 'condemns in the strongest terms abusive behavior directed towards athletes. Threatening or harassing athletes is unacceptable and has no place in sports. This customer is no longer able to wager with FanDuel.' Last weekend, Thomas finished fourth in a 100-meter race won by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The bettor wrote in a post on social media that he 'made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win.' He posted a picture of his parlay that had Jefferson-Wooden winning the 100. Thomas, the 200-meter champion at the Paris Games last summer, explained the heckling incident on X. She wrote: 'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults – anybody who enables him online is gross.' Grand Slam Track, a track league launched by Hall of Fame sprinter Michael Johnson this spring, wrote in a statement it was 'conducting a full investigation into the reprehensible behavior captured on video. 'We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future. Let us be clear, despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated.' ESPN first reported the bettor had been banned by FanDuel. The Grand Slam Track season wraps up with the fourth and final meet in Los Angeles on June 28-29. The Thomas incident is the latest in a string of stalking and abuse of female athletes. Frida Karlsson, a Swedish cross-country skiing world champion, recently brought her experience with stalking into public view when she went through a trial. A man in his 60s was given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay 40,000 kronor ($4,100) in damages after being convicted of stalking Karlsson for a year and four months, according to Swedish news agency TT. The man, according to the indictment, called Karlsson 207 times, left her voicemails and text messages and approached her, including outside her apartment. In February, police in the United Arab Emirates detained a man who caused British tennis player Emma Raducanu distress by exhibiting ' fixated behavior ' toward her at a tennis tournament. Raducanu had been approached by the man at the Dubai Championships where he left her a note, took her photograph and engaged in behavior that caused her distress, according to the government of Dubai's media office.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Woman teacher banned for pupil sex and drugs texts
A woman has been banned from teaching after a panel found she sent messages about her sexual encounters to a pupil and encouraged him to smoke cannabis with her. Charlotte Doman, then 32, was teaching history at William Edwards secondary school in Grays, Essex, when her inappropriate contact began. A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel was told she sent messages to the pupil where she called him "little duck" and said to him she loved him, but she denied what she said was romantic. Marc Cavey, TRA chief executive, decided she should be banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a five-year review period. The TRA heard Ms Doman sent dozens of messages to the child, who the panel referred to as Pupil A, between April and May 2023. In one she said: "You're not even legal or an adult or anything. Like, am I taking advantage of you? Some days it feels like you're taking advantage of me lol." In messages seen by the panel, she told him: "YOU have all the control in this relationship." She also told Pupil A details about her sexual relationships, the panel found, saying in an Instagram message: "One night I ended up with three different guys." She was said to have made comments about the pupil's appearance and messaged him, saying: "I literally go get waxed every eight weeks for no-one to appreciate it." The panel also heard Ms Doman encouraged Pupil A and his friends to "pull sickies" on a day she was off school, and at least once invited Pupil A to spend time alone with her. The now 34-year-old did not attend her misconduct hearing, but in written statements said the "little duck" nickname was "not romantic". She said she was letting the pupil "know that someone cared about his existence" in telling him she loved him. Ms Doman admitted she also encouraged Pupil A to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis with her, and said: "I am unsure why any of this occurred. "I certainly don't behave like this myself. I drink alcohol less than once a month and never to excess, and I've never taken drugs." The teacher also admitted she had sent Pupil A messages outside of school hours and acknowledged she told him to "remove all trace" of her from his phone. Ms Doman denied her conduct was sexually motivated and said she saw Pupil A as "like her child", but the panel ruled on the contrary. It said Ms Doman's behaviour had a "seriously damaging" impact on Pupil A, his parents, the school and its wider community, and her conduct "had the potential to influence Pupil A in a harmful way". Ms Doman was facing "difficulties" in her personal life at the time, the hearing was told, but the panel ruled that she "did not show sufficient insight in respect of the impact her conduct had on others". Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
