Latest news with #Beverley
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Countdown on to 2028 solar eclipse
A Dunedin astronomer is keen to spread the word this week marks three years until Dunedin is at the centre of a total solar eclipse — an event that could bring tens of thousands of visitors to the city. Dunedin Astronomical Society member Warren Hurley said the rare cosmic event, in which the moon passes between the sun and the earth, will darken the skies above Dunedin on July 22, 2028 Mr Hurley said, during the late afternoon eclipse, lasting two minutes and 52 seconds, the moon's shadow would be about 170km wide and centred within 4km of the Octagon — ensuring those in Dunedin the best view. He urged residents to check outside this week to see if they would be able to view the eclipse from their homes. "If your house is in sunshine from 3pm to 5pm this week, then you will be able to watch the eclipse from home at the same time in 2028. Those living in North East Valley or Kaikorai Valley will probably need to find another location though," he said. The city will also need to be prepared for the likely influx of visitors, estimated at up to 50,000 people, some of whom will travel from across the globe to witness the eclipse. Mr Hurley said he had witnessed one solar eclipse in person, during a visit to the small Australian town of Ceduna, near Adelaide, in 2002. The event attracted 30,000 visitors. Mr Hurley has been giving talks about solar eclipses to visiting members of the public at the Dunedin Astronomical Society's regular winter Sunday evening gatherings, from 7pm at the Beverley Begg Observatory.
Leader Live
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Ian Puleston Davies and Suzan Holder at Flintshire event
The pair, who are great friends, will reveal how actor, director and writer Ian gave Suzan some valuable advice when she was writing the first of her three books published by HarperCollins. Suzan, who is married to musician Noddy Holder, writes romantic comedies with a musical twist, her latest book 'What Would Dolly Do?' is inspired by the queen of country music, Dolly Parton. Suzan and Ian will be In Conversation at The Berwyn Bookshop on Thursday, July 31 from 7.30pm. Suzan said: 'When Ian and I get together we don't stop chatting and always have a real laugh, it'll be fun to share that experience with book lovers. "I've got some stories about the real-life adventures that have inspired my books that even Ian doesn't know so I'm looking forward to surprising him and the audience!' Ian said: 'I love Suzan's books, they are very rock n'roll - just like her, it's going to be a fabulous evening!' Cheshire based Suzan's first book 'Shake It Up, Beverley' about a Beatles mad mum and her internet dating disasters got a thumbs up from Sir Paul McCartney himself who said it was 'Fab!' Suzan got the idea for her second book 'Rock n' Rose' after an adventurous trip she made to Elvis Presley's Graceland home where she was dramatically rescued by a Mississippi motorcycle cop. 'What Would Dolly Do?' tells the story of Becky, a Dolly Parton tribute singer with such terrible stage-fright she can only perform when dressed up as country music's biggest, blondest star. Read more After splitting with her boyfriend (and Kenny Rogers singing partner) Becky decides to take inspiration from Dolly to go it alone and try to shine like a diamond in a rhinestone world. Suzan said: 'The book is perfect for Dolly fans of course, but it also speaks to anyone who wants to escape the 9 to 5 or strike out in a new direction and face their fears.' Tickets are available from the shop in Buckley or online priced £5 a ticket £10 to include a copy of the book.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘No penalty for hammering rivals last time out' – Templegate's Monday NAP
TEMPLEGATE'S Monday picks are below. Back a horse by clicking their odds. RECOBELLA (8.20 Beverley, nap) Hammered her rivals at Nottingham last week and crucially escapes a penalty for that win in an apprentice race. It was her second run for the yard and first try over 1m2f in Britain, which brought about marked improvement. With conditions ideal and confidence high, she can follow up with plenty to spare. MILTEYE (8.50 Beverley, nb) Got his reward for a string of consistent runs when landing a big-field handicap at Carlisle on soft ground. A 3lb rise looks lenient, he stays well and the rain is a plus. OPAL STORM (6.50 Beverley, treble) Was second in this last year and went close in a higher grade at Ayr last time. She handles soft ground and has a good record over today's trip. JUDGE FRANK (8.40 Windsor, Lucky 15) Returned to form with a close third at Bath last time and is close to his last winning mark. Templegate's tips Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Monday, July 21
Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Monday's meetings at Ayr, Cartmel, Beverley and Windsor. Ayr Robin Goodfellow 2.00 Thesecretadversary 2.30 Sixcor 3.00 Clasina 3.30 Badri 4.05 Bowood 4.40 Sophiesticate 5.15 Azuinthejungl Cartmel Robin Goodfellow 1.42 Lightening Company 2.12 Larkfield Lusive 2.42 Rioja Alta 3.12 Jentobello 3.45 Anyharminasking 4.20 Fairlawn Flyer 4.50 Am Still Here Gimcrack 1.42 Game Management 2.12 Larkfield Lusive 2.42 Positive Mindset 3.12 Jentobello 3.45 Anyharminasking 4.20 Fairlawn Flyer 4.50 Am Still Here Beverley Robin Goodfellow 6.20 Victor Cee 6.50 Without Flaw 7.20 Capital Guarantee 7.50 Tootsie 8.20 Inspiring Speeches 8.50 Milteye Gimcrack 6.20 Ishimentor 6.50 Opal Storm 7.20 Capital Guarantee 7.50 Tootsie 8.20 Invincible Shadow 8.50 Milteye NORTHERNER – 6.20 VICTOR CEE (nap);6.50 Blackcurrent (nb) Windsor Robin Goodfellow 5.10 Vlad 5.40 Come On Eibhlin 6.10 Princess Billyboy 6.40 Mukhtalif 7.10 EXPERT AGENT (nap) 7.40 Laura Bay (nb) 8.10 Cathedral Peak 8.40 Francisco Gimcrack 5.10 Vlad 5.40 Gwen John 6.10 Passing Thought 6.40 Gallic Legend 7.10 Safari Dream 7.40 Azaniya 8.10 Albus Anne 8.40 Judge Frank NEWMARKET – 5.10 Luminare (nb); 5.40 COME ON EIBHLIN (nap).
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
My brother was knifed to death at home by his pal…court ‘loophole' meant we never got justice & killer struck AGAIN
WAYNE Keenan's body was draped over a breakfast bar in his Blackpool flat, where he'd been stabbed multiple times. His pal Mark Oldfield had fled the scene, just yards from a police station, but two days later would hand himself in before being charged with murder. 8 Beverley Keenan's younger brother Wayne 'Joey Evans' was killed by his friend Credit: Dave Nelson 8 Joey was stabbed to death at his flat in Blackpool Credit: Dave Nelson 8 A Blackpool Gazette report from December 2000 But in the middle of his trial the judge gave the jury the option to try him for the now defunct charge of manslaughter by provocation instead. They took up the offer and Oldfield, from Leeds, was sentenced to just seven years in prison, and after early release would go on to viciously attack his next door neighbour with a pizza cutter - as well as at least one other offence with a bladed article. Heartbroken sister Beverley Keenan told The Sun: 'I've spent more than two decades fighting this, trying to understand why it suddenly wasn't considered murder. He'd been stabbed in the back. 'There was no justice for my brother. I want an apology from the government, because it was their laws that failed to protect him and others in a similar boat.' Read more news She added: 'As soon as Mark was released he attacked again.' Beverley says she's never had a clear answer as to what led to her brother's death - and the weapon used was never found. Dad-of-three Wayne - known to friends and family as Joey Evans, having adopted his stepdad's surname and his own middle name - had been allowing Oldfield to stay in his flat on and off when the deadly row erupted on June 4 2000. Joey, 34, had, on a whim, moved to the Lancashire city from Leeds months earlier, after his mum Alison Evans and sisters Beverley and Julie had done the same. Most read in The Sun His relationship with the mother of his youngest son had broken down and he wanted a fresh start. Beverley explained: 'He turned up on New Years Eve 1999 and it was a right shock, because we weren't expecting to see him. Man who stabbed woman to death as she slept confesses to her murder 'I'd just moved into a new house, and he came and stayed with us all over New Year. 'We had a lovely time, it was the first time that all the family had been together since we were kids. 'He was gutted because he had three kids in Leeds but needed a fresh start. He planned to move to Blackpool permanently and fight for custody of his youngest, and we were going to help.' Joey signed up to a local job agency and soon found regular work in factories, often working two jobs at once, days and nights. 'He was earning good money and then his mate from Leeds turned up,' explained Beverley. Joey and Oldfield, then 36, stayed at Alison's home in Central Drive before her son found himself a flat on Chapel Street just half a mile away. But by June, Joey and Oldfield's relationship appeared to have soured somewhat, and Beverley believes her brother had not seen his eventual killer much for some time when he arrived suddenly at his flat in the early hours of Sunday, June 4 2000. 'He turned up early Sunday morning, and stabbed Joey at nine o'clock on Sunday night,' she said. 8 Tragic Joey with his son Danny Credit: Dave Nelson 8 The proud dad with his daughter Toni Credit: Dave Nelson 8 Joey had relocated to Blackpool from Leeds months before he died Credit: Dave Nelson 'Joey had had a bath that night, he'd ironed his clothes ready to go to work the next day, before being killed.' Beverley recalls how half an hour after stabbing her brother, Oldfield 'casually' walked past her and sister Julie as they drove back to their mum's home after bingo. 'He was stood looking at me in the car, and because of my arthritis I couldn't wind the window down to ask him where Joey was. 'He was with a girl. We drove round to the back of my mum's old house, and we suddenly couldn't see him anywhere.' What exactly happened during the tragedy is unclear. In her campaign to have the conviction upgraded, Beverley says she was told the court transcripts were destroyed after five years. Reports in the Blackpool Gazette from December 2000, during the trial, say Oldfield alleged his victim had first gone for him with a knife. He claimed Joey had also punched one of several women who were also in the flat at the time and had stepped in. However, Julie Taylor, described as Joey's girlfriend, is reported to have told the court she saw Oldfield raise an arm and stab his victim four times. While giving evidence, Oldfield had told the court how he and Joey had spent the day drinking and watching Formula One on the TV. One article adds the defendant said he must have later fallen asleep and that on waking he heard screaming and crying. 8 Joey had been working at different factories and was looking towards a new chapter in his life when he was killed Credit: Dave Nelson 8 Beverley wants an apology off the Government Credit: Dave Nelson It says: 'Oldfield told the court he saw Joey punching someone called Mandy. The defendant said he took hold of him and dragged him into the hallway.' However, Joey allegedly broke loose and headed back to the living room. Oldfield said: 'Joey came back into the room. I saw a knife in the right hand. I thought he had run on to the knife [sic]. 'From listening to the forensic pathologist I now believe I must have lunged at him and stabbed him in the chest, thinking he was going to stab me.' In another article, the court is reported to have heard Oldfield claimed he was acting in self defence and had actually grabbed a knife from the coffee table after fearing Joey was going to arm himself, and used it to kill his friend. In an article from December 23 2000, the day after Oldfield was sentenced for manslaughter by provocation, Beverley was reported as saying: 'Oldfield was known as Rampton in Leeds and butchered my brother. 'I am considering appealing to the Home Secretary about the leniency of the sentence.' Mum Alison - who passed away in 2010 - had said: 'How in God's name could the judge sentence him to only seven years? 'He could be out walking the streets again in three years.' Referring to the police, she added: 'We feel so let down by them.' Early prison release and subsequent attack Oldfield was released early from prison and in May 2009 was sentenced to eight years in custody for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, having attacked his neighbour with a pizza cutter. Then in May 2011, while still on licence, Oldfield reportedly committed another offence with a bladed article and was given a 10-month prison term. Beverley said: 'How many more times will he escape justice? Does he really have to take another life before someone listens?' She has been campaigning ever since Oldfield was jailed for her brother's killing, for a tougher sentence. 'I started more or less immediately,' she explained. She said she was protesting outside Parliament and several Labour ministers at the time 'all walked past', and she appeared on TV. 'I wrote to everyone in Parliament and got a lot of letters back from a lot of MPs that agreed with me but they said you've got to go through your own. 'My MP tried his best but it's proving it. No solicitor would ever touch it because there'd been a trial. Even though the trial's gone wrong.' The partial defence of provocation in English law, which could reduce a murder charge to manslaughter, was abolished in October 2010. In April 2005 the double jeopardy rule came into effect in the UK, allowing for retrials in cases of very serious offences where new and compelling evidence had emerged after an acquittal or conviction. Beverley said it wasn't until the new law came in that police came to see her, in part because she'd been collecting paperwork from the case, and asked for the court transcripts, which she didn't have. What is manslaughter by provocation and double jeopardy? The partial defence of manslaughter by provocation in English law, which could reduce a murder charge to manslaughter, was abolished in October 2010. In April 2005 the double jeopardy rule came into effect in the UK, allowing for retrials in cases of very serious offences where new and compelling evidence had emerged after an acquittal or conviction. 'They said 'we're going to try him on double jeopardy'. Beverley continued: 'They knew he'd murdered Joey, they knew it. I tried to get the transcripts but they said we've destroyed them after five years. 'You can find transcripts online from decades ago but Joey's have been destroyed after five years.' Despite being on benefits at the time, she managed to save up the £5,000 needed to receive the transcripts before finding out they'd been destroyed. She said police said, in the end, the potential for a new trial fell through on the basis of this. 'Really you'd think they'd do a new inquiry again,' she continued. 'The police said they were underfunded and couldn't keep going back and forth to Leeds. And that was that.' She went on to say: 'I seem to have missed out every which way but loose. Every which way I go I hit a brick wall.' She added: 'At the end of the day, it's us who are the victims, us who serve the life sentence, not them who do it.' Having suffered a number of health setbacks, Beverley said her campaign has now been reinvigorated. I seem to have missed out every which way but loose. Every which way I go I hit a brick wall. At the end of the day, it's us who are the victims, us who serve the life sentence, not them who do it. Beverley Keenan sister of tragic Joey Evans Mum Alison died from brain cancer in 2010, while Beverley herself has struggled with rheumatoid arthritis since she was a baby. 'In the last 10 years I've had my two new hips and two new knees, I've had a lot going on in my life,' she explained. 'But the other day I just thought I should really get an apology off the government. 'That manslaughter with provocation was a mess, they knew it was a mess, they've admitted it was a mess, and that's the reason they abolished it because they knew murderers were getting away with murder.' She added: 'I would like other victims in this situation to come forward. 'I'd love to get a group of us together like the Post Office crew, because someone needs holding accountable for this farce. It should never have happened.' Attorney General In an email from MP Chris Webb to Beverley in January, seen by The Sun, he told her: 'Provocation law, as it stood, was widely criticised for being outdated and susceptible to misuse. 'While its intent was to address specific circumstances, its application in other cases, including the ones you've described, led to unjust outcomes that failed to reflect the gravity of the crimes committed. 'I agree that the government must not acknowledge the failures of the past without fully examining their consequences and offering both accountability and redress.' As a result, he wrote to the Attorney General on her behalf to 'highlight the importance of this issue'. In April, Mr Webb then forwarded his response from Sarah Sackman KC, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, who said the correspondence had been transferred to the Ministry of Justice. She said: 'You and your constituents may be interested to learn about the 'Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) Scheme' where the Attorney General can refer certain serious offences sentenced in the Crown Court to the Court of Appeal if they believe they might be unduly lenient. 'The Court of Appeal will then review the sentence and may decide to dismiss and replace it with a sentence that it considers more appropriate.' However, she warned: 'The bar to increasing a sentence is a very high one. 'The Court of Appeal will only grant permission to refer a sentence in exceptional circumstances: for example, if the judge has made some gross error, or has passed a sentence that falls outside the range of available and reasonably appropriate sentences.' She added the independent Law Commission are also 'undertaking a review of criminal appeals' and in June launched a public consultation in relation to reforms to the ULS. Lancashire Police declined to comment when approached by The Sun. Do you know more? Email
