Latest news with #JekyllandHyde
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Masked man attempted to hijack taxi at knifepoint in Louth appears for sentencing
Aaron Reilly (23), living at the time at The Crescent, Tredagh View, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a knife during the incident which occurred close to his then home on September 30, 2020. He used his mother's phone to notify the taxi driver and after he ran off having failed to get the victim to hand over his vehicle, Gardaí who arrived on the scene saw him looking out a window of his house. It was stated that the defendant was a 'Jekyll and Hyde character' who had a drug and alcohol addiction and required residential treatment. Det Gda Kelly Finnegan gave evidence that the taxi driver received a notification to attend an address at Beechwood Avenue, Drogheda at 7am. When he drove into Rowan Heights, Marley's Lane, he saw a masked man approach on the driver's side. This person opened the door and produced a knife, saying, 'I need your taxi. Get out of the taxi'. The victim refused and offered his attacker money. Mr Reilly said, 'It's insured. You can just give me the keys'. He held the knife against the driver's chest. The driver said 'no' and got out of the Toyota Prius which had a camera system. His assailant made threats to kill him. The taxi man kept the keys in his pocket and made it clear he was not willing to hand over his car. The defendant ran off. Det Gda Finnegan continued that a large black handled knife was found in grass and Mr Reilly was seen looking out the kitchen window of his house. During the course of an investigation which ultimately led to the accused, it was discovered that his mother recognised the knife as similar to one from a knife block in her kitchen. ADVERTISEMENT DNA recovered from the handle of a bread knife with a sharp edge was linked to the accused, who had used his mother's phone to book the taxi. He was arrested and interviewed on August 5, 2022. There were 29 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and two for assault. In a Victim Impact Statement the man said he had been working as a taxi driver for five years at the time. The incident had a severe impact on him. He now tried to avoid Marley's Lane and working at night. This affected his earnings. He had a big family to support. He couldn't sleep and would wake up in fear and as a result be tired all day. Cross-examined by barrister Donough McDonough, instructed by solicitor Paul Moore, Det Gda Finnegan agreed that the defendant was a Jekyll and Hyde character who was in the throes of an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. He did this 'when out of his head'. His mother who was present at the hearing had given him a lot of chances before throwing him out of the house. Mr McDonough added that Aaron Reilly had little memory of what occurred. He regretted his actions and had instructed to apologise. He was currently out of the house and 'couch surfing' between family and friends. His mother continued to support him. He had no father in his life. The defendant did a Junior Cert equivalent and obtained a Safe Pass. He needed to address his addiction issues. Drug use had escalated after the death of a friend. He accepted that he required residential care. The Probation Service assessed him at high risk of reoffending in the next 12 months and noted he was motivated to address risk factors. The defendant had done four weeks of a 10-week course and Judge Dara Hayes gave him an opportunity to complete it, adjourning sentence to July 30. He said the matter will require some degree of custodial sentence.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Louth man carrying knife attempted early morning hijack of taxi he called
Aaron Reilly (23), living at the time at The Crescent, Tredagh View, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a knife during the incident which occurred close to his then home on September 30, 2020. He used his mother's phone to notify the taxi driver and after he ran off having failed to get the victim to hand over his vehicle, Gardaí who arrived on the scene saw him looking out a window of his house. It was stated that the defendant was a 'Jekyll and Hyde character' who had a drug and alcohol addiction and required residential treatment. Det Gda Kelly Finnegan gave evidence that the taxi driver received a notification to attend an address at Beechwood Avenue, Drogheda at 7am. When he drove into Rowan Heights, Marley's Lane, he saw a masked man approach on the driver's side. This person opened the door and produced a knife, saying, 'I need your taxi. Get out of the taxi'. The victim refused and offered his attacker money. Mr Reilly said, 'It's insured. You can just give me the keys'. He held the knife against the driver's chest. The driver said 'no' and got out of the Toyota Prius which had a camera system. His assailant made threats to kill him. The taxi man kept the keys in his pocket and made it clear he was not willing to hand over his car. The defendant ran off. Det Gda Finnegan continued that a large black handled knife was found in grass and Mr Reilly was seen looking out the kitchen window of his house. During the course of an investigation which ultimately led to the accused, it was discovered that his mother recognised the knife as similar to one from a knife block in her kitchen. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more DNA recovered from the handle of a bread knife with a sharp edge was linked to the accused, who had used his mother's phone to book the taxi. He was arrested and interviewed on August 5, 2022. There were 29 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and two for assault. In a Victim Impact Statement the man said he had been working as a taxi driver for five years at the time. The incident had a severe impact on him. He now tried to avoid Marley's Lane and working at night. This affected his earnings. He had a big family to support. He couldn't sleep and would wake up in fear and as a result be tired all day. Cross-examined by barrister Donough McDonough, instructed by solicitor Paul Moore, Det Gda Finnegan agreed that the defendant was a Jekyll and Hyde character who was in the throes of an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. He did this 'when out of his head'. His mother who was present at the hearing had given him a lot of chances before throwing him out of the house. Mr McDonough added that Aaron Reilly had little memory of what occurred. He regretted his actions and had instructed to apologise. He was currently out of the house and 'couch surfing' between family and friends. His mother continued to support him. He had no father in his life. The defendant did a Junior Cert equivalent and obtained a Safe Pass. He needed to address his addiction issues. Drug use had escalated after the death of a friend. He accepted that he required residential care. The Probation Service assessed him at high risk of reoffending in the next 12 months and noted he was motivated to address risk factors. The defendant had done four weeks of a 10-week course and Judge Dara Hayes gave him an opportunity to complete it, adjourning sentence to July 30. He said the matter will require some degree of custodial sentence. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Steelers Player Blasts Shedeur Sanders: 'He's Gonna Be an Epic Failure'
From Steelers Now: To say the least, former Steelers running back Merril Hoge is not a fan of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Hoge, who correctly predicted that Johnny Manziel was going to be a bust, thinks Sanders is going to be an epic failure in the NFL. Advertisement 'He can't handle the expectations that are coming his way. He's gonna be an epic failure and he's gonna get set your organization back another two or three years,' Hoge said on 102.5 WDVE's Morning Show with Randy Baumann. Sanders did not have an elite offensive line at Colorado, but he still had the most quarterback-faulted pressures and sacks in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Pocket awareness is something that many talent evaluators are concerned about with him. 'The best way to sum it up is his a really good college quarterback,' Hoge said. 'His accuracy is good. His processing is good. And when I say good, I use a scale of 1 to 10. So good is around five. So if you're a five in college, okay? Those are the two most important aspects of transitioning to the National Football League and then you build from there. Anticipation, pocket awareness and then we start building. But those two things, if you're a five, you're not a first rounder. You're not a franchise guy.' Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Athletics Hoge is not the only one that thinks Sanders will be a bust. NFL insider Albert Breer examined this year's quarterback class with the help of nine QB-adjacent offensive coaches from nine different NFL teams, and the overall consensus on Sanders was pretty negative. Advertisement 'This guy—if his last name was Breer,' the NFC quarterbacks coach joked with Breer, 'and he was coming out of Minnesota, he'd be a sixth-round pick. He doesn't play with good feet, he's late on stuff, he has an average arm. His accuracy is O.K., but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he's an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there's no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches.' One NFC quarterbacks coach absolutely ripped Sanders. 'This guy—if his last name was Breer,' the NFC quarterbacks coach joked with Breer, 'and he was coming out of Minnesota, he'd be a sixth-round pick. He doesn't play with good feet, he's late on stuff, he has an average arm. His accuracy is O.K., but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he's an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there's no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches.' An unnamed AFC coordinator wasn't as harsh, but he noted that there's some big question marks with the highly-touted Colorado quarterback. Advertisement 'The physical tools, when you see it in rhythm, it looks good,' the AFC coordinator said. 'The stuff you ding him on, holding the ball, dropping too deep, waiting for things to happen instead of anticipating, that's the Jekyll and Hyde. … The things I'll give him credit for, he makes plays in big moments, I do think he's got plenty of arm. And I'll be interested to see him out of his comfort zone, when he's just playing football. His dad's been around wherever he's played. There's some positive to that, of course. There'll be some stuff that'll be new for him, too.' With just two days until the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers are now the favorites to land Sanders, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The New Orleans Saints had been the favorites to land Sanders for several weeks, but there seems to be growing belief that he could fall on Day 1 of the draft. The Steelers hosted Sanders for a pre-draft visit earlier this month, and it's safe to say head coach Mike Tomlin came away from it impressed with the young signal caller. The Steelers reportedly met with Sanders for five hours, but Tomlin revealed they didn't spend much time talking about Sanders' father, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Advertisement 'I've obviously known his father for a long time. My first time meeting him. And to be quite honest with you, we didn't talk a whole lot about my relationship with his father,' Tomlin said. 'It was a normal pre-draft visit to spend time with a young man, to talk ball, to get to know him as an individual, to get to see how he processes and sees the game and how he articulates his football experience. From that standpoint, it was very normal and it was a very productive one.' Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story. This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Player Blasts Shedeur Sanders: 'He's Gonna Be an Epic Failure'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Could WH Smith be one of the FTSE 250's greatest growth shares?
WH Smith's (LSE:SMWH) one of the UK's great 'Jekyll and Hyde' stocks. While growth at its Travel division remains strong, trouble at its High Steet unit remains a drag on its shares. But with its beleaguered traditional business being offloaded, things could be looking up as WH Smith ramps up expansion across the world's airports, rail stations and other travel hubs. Could it now be one of the FTSE 250's best growth stocks to consider buying? Let's take a look. WH Smith's tired, cluttered high street stores have long lagged in the cut-throat retail market. With consumer spending also on the ropes, it's no surprise the division again disappointed in Wednesday's (16 April) half-year update. Sales across the company's 480 stores dropped 7% in the six months to 28 February, while trading profit slumped 32%. So once again, it was left to its Travel unit to come to the rescue. Revenues and trading profit rose 6% and 12% respectively in the period, reducing the decline in group trading profit to just 1%. Sales in Travel UK rose 7% in the first half, while the North America and the Rest of World sub-segments grew 5% and 9% respectively. Around three-quarters of group turnover came from Travel stores in the period. The good news is that the headwinds from Smith's High Street operation will soon be consigned to history. Modella Capital has purchased its traditional business for £76m in a deal due to complete by the autumn. In my view, WH Smith's transition to a pureplay travel retailer provides substantial growth potential, supercharged by the firm's commitment to rapid expansion. In particular, it plans to raise its exposure to more lucrative international markets, and especially in North America. It's described the territory as 'our most exciting growth opportunity'. The company opened 30 new stores in the first half (or 13 excluding closures of existing outlets). It has a store pipeline of around 90 stores for the next three years too, which will add another 70 units to its portfolio. Unsurprisingly, WH Smith will focus new openings on the US, the world's biggest travel market Its Travel-based growth strategy leaves Smith well placed to capitalise on an expected boom in air travel. According to analysts at ACI World, the number of passengers worldwide will almost double between now and 2053, to 22.3bn. Rising investment in airport infrastructure also bodes well, as does the company's plans to accelerate rollout of its highly-scalable one-stop-shop travel essentials format. I'm not suggesting it will be plain sailing for WH Smith from this point onwards. Competition is high across its markets, while passenger numbers are sensitive to economic conditions. The company's pan-global presence also leaves it vulnerable to currency movements. Adverse changes knocked 2% off sales growth in the first half. But on balance, I think it could become one of the FTSE 250's standout growth shares. And in the nearer term, City analysts expect earnings to grow 8% and 10% in the next two financials years (to August 2025 and 2026 respectively). With the stock currently trading on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 10 times, I think it's worth serious consideration right now. The post Could WH Smith be one of the FTSE 250's greatest growth shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Royston Wild has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended WH Smith. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Drua dig deep to keep the Waratahs winless away in 2025
The NSW Waratahs' travelling woes have hit a 28-year low with a sapping 28-14 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Fijian Drua in Lautoka. Continuing their Jekyll and Hyde season, the Waratahs followed up a rousing 21-14 victory over the table-topping Chiefs with a demoralising defeat to the last-placed Drua on Saturday. Unbeaten in five home games, the Waratahs not only remain winless on the road in 2025. Even worse, the Tahs have now suffered nine consecutive away losses for the first time since 1996-97. WORK. RATE. 🔧A sizzler from @Fijian_Drua ♨️#SuperRugbyPacific #DRUvWAR — Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 19, 2025 Coach Dan McKellar had demanded a shift in mindset and for his charges to front up physically after heavy defeats in New Zealand to the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika. But the NSW coaching staff once again lamented the Waratahs coming off second best in the collision stakes as the Drua enjoying 66 per cent of first-half possession to seize control at their Churchill Park fortress. Already resting Wallabies forwards Taniela Tupou, Angus Bell and Rob Leota as part of Rugby Australia's rotation policy, and still without sidelined skipper Jake Gordon, the Waratahs weren't helped by losing three more players to injury in the steamy conditions. Gordon's deputising scrumhalf Teddy Wilson was replaced at halftime after lock Ben Grant and flanker Charlie Gamble had limped off after 10 and 20 minutes respectively. Against the odds, the depleted Waratahs produced a gritty second-half fightback to threaten to send the match into golden-point "super time", as they did last year after battling back from 16 points behind. Alas, the damage was done in the first half as the Drua once again held on in such extreme heat that the two sides were afforded a drinks break at the hour-mark. Adding to their despair, the fifth-placed Waratahs conceded a penalty try after the fulltime siren to miss out on a precious bonus point as the Drua extended their unbeaten record at home to eight matches. After two early penalty goals to flyhalf Isaiah-Armstrong-Ravula helpd the Drua to a 6-0 lead, the hosts ran in two tries with NSW's former England sevens star Jamie Adamson exposed in defence on both occasions. NO stopping him 🚫#SuperRugbyPacific #DRUvWAR — Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 19, 2025 First, flanker Motikiai Murray split Adamson and replacement lock Miles Amatosero to stroll over in the 22nd minute. Then prolific try-scorer Ponipate Loganimasi added to his tally in the shadows of halftime to give the hosts an 18-7 advantage after easily beating lame efforts from Adamson and his opposing winger Andrew Kellaway. TORPEDO INCOMING🎯#SuperRugbyPacific #DRUvWAR — Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 19, 2025 No doubt inspired by having dozens of extended family members in the crowd, powerhouse back-rower Langi Gleeson kept the Tahs in the contest with their only try just two minutes after replacing Gamble. When replacement hooker Julian Heaven burrowed over in the 56th minute, the Waratahs had reduced the deficit to seven points. But the visitors were unable to convert their momentum into a drought-breaking away win ahead of a bye next week when they could fall out of the top eight.
