Latest news with #KevinJones
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My evil boyfriend kept me awake for four days, hit me and drove me into traffic. He even faked letters from social services accusing me of neglect. Now he's being released just 10 months into his sentence and I'm terrified for my children's safety
A mother-of-three has slammed the early release of her former abusive partner who controlled her life for 14 years. Evil Kevin Jones, 43, isolated Lucy Buxton from friends and family, banned her from wearing revealing clothes, checked her phone constantly and even stopped her from getting her hair cut. In March last year, after he drove their car into a main road, barely missing oncoming traffic, he was jailed for 3.5 years for driving a motor vehicle dangerously and harassment to put a person in fear of violence. He was also handed a life-long restraining order. Yet, the thug will be released in August this year. Just ten months into his sentence. Lucy, 35, from Derby, is terrified Jones will seek revenge and hurt her and their children. With the Labour government's plans to free criminals recalled to custody after 28 days to prevent overcrowding prisons, Lucy feels completely let down. She says: 'When I got to call a few weeks ago from the probation service, telling me Kev was due to be released early, I burst into tears. 'Ten months for a three -and- a- half year sentence? Is that all I was worth? 'I've had no time to heal, no time to recover and barely enough time to start enjoying my life without looking over my shoulder. 'Kevin abused me for 14 years and me and my children get just 10 months of freedom. 'He comes out of prison and we go back into one. 'The fear he will find us and hurt us is crippling. 'Where are our rights, our freedom? He can't be rehabilitated after that time, if ever. 'Hearing of Labour's plans makes me sick to my stomach. 'It's no deterrent for dangerous offenders like Kevin. 'Before we know it, abusers won't be monitored at all, meaning we'll be at extreme risk. 'It'll mean more women will die. 'The government will have blood on their hands. 'I'm disgusted. There's no justice.' Lucy, started dating Jones in 2010 after meeting during a night out. A few months later, they were living together. Almost straight away, he began to control her. Used to going out partying with her friends, Jones soon insisted on joining them. Lucy says: 'One morning, I noticed some money missing. '£100 had been withdrawn from my account. 'When I confronted Kev, he told me "We're together now, it's our money". 'My first serious relationship, I thought it was normal.' Yet, the following year, when Lucy fell pregnant, Jones started drinking heavily. One night, at seven months gone, he returned home, drunk. When Lucy complained, he balled his hand into a fist. She remembers: 'I was terrified and cowered in the corner as he shouted at me.' Then, on New Year's Eve that year, Jones flipped again after Lucy complained he'd forgotten to put the bedding in the dryer. He lunged at her and punched a kitchen cupboard above her head. After their eldest son arrived in February 2012, Jones didn't lift a finger. Instead, he spent most nights in the pub. Lucy says: 'While I did all the childcare, he hated the attention I gave our baby. 'And when our second son was born in January 2013, if I asked him for help, he'd tell me to 'Get on with it'.' Soon after Lucy discovered Jones had a gambling problem. He'd whittled hundreds of pounds away on slot machines and horse races. Then Jones began dictating what Lucy wore. She explains: 'If anything was too revealing he'd question it. Tell me I looked silly. 'Soon after, he began checking my phone messages daily. 'Made me sit for hours while he read each one out loud. 'It was exhausting.' When their youngest boy was born in 2018, Lucy claims she was barely surviving. Many times, she attempted to end the relationship. She would escape to her mum's, who lived down the street. Yet Jones always wormed his way back in. Lucy says: 'One day, I told him to leave. 'He did, but he snuck back into the house in the middle of night, woke me up and said 'Just remember I can get to you anywhere'. 'His threats horrified me. I didn't feel safe in my own home. 'After that, my family begged me to leave. 'But I'd made peace with myself that the only way I'd get out of the relationship was if one of us died.' Months later, Lucy received an email supposedly from social services, telling her she was being investigated for child neglect. But the letter was full of spelling and grammatical errors. Lucy says: 'I quickly realised it was fake. 'Knew Kev was behind it.' Eventually, Jones was in so much debt, Lucy struggled to pay the rent each month. Three years passed and in July 2021, Lucy's sister gifted her a birthday voucher to get her hair done. She remembers: 'Back at home, after cutting it just a few inches, Kev went berserk. 'Told me I looked ridiculous and didn't talk to me for days. 'Made any confidence I had left, vanish.' Then, in September 2023, while their kids were at school, Lucy found drugs in her bedroom. As she went to flush them down the toilet, Jones appeared. She remembers: 'He pinned me against the wall and kneed me in the chest, winding me. 'He shouted at me to drop it. Unable to breathe, I did. 'That night, Kev refused to let me sleep. 'Pestered me to give him money. 'For four days, he kept me awake. 'Even threatened to get me sectioned. 'By this point, I was so sleep deprived I could barely function.' The following year, in March 2024, Jones returned from an all-night bender. After he accused Lucy of cheating, he locked the doors, putting the keys in his pocket. For hours, while the kids tried to sleep, he ranted, checked Lucy's phone and refused to let her sleep. The next morning, after dropping the boys at school, Jones drove at 100mph back home. Lucy recalls: 'When I begged him to slow down, he punched me in the face. 'Started ranting that I was having an affair. 'Moments later, he pulled up on pavement and I fled. 'Kev gave chase and grabbed me by my hood. 'He threatened to kidnap our boys and that I'd never see them again.' Terrified, Lucy agreed to get back into the car. Minutes later they arrived home. Yet he teared away in the car again. Lucy says: 'I went out the front door and heard tyres screeching. 'Suddenly, Kev appeared and drove the car straight at me. 'I froze as he stopped, inches from my legs.' Then Jones ordered Lucy back into the car. She says: 'I was hysterical and asked Kev 'When will it end?' 'He laughed manically and replied 'When you're not alive anymore'. 'At that point, I knew he'd kill me.' Moments later, Jones sped towards a busy dual carriageway into traffic. Miraculously, nothing hit them. Coming to a halt, Jones threw Lucy's phone and keys at her. She managed to flee and called her mum, before collecting her sons from school. Lucy called the police and Jones was arrested and remanded. She says: 'Before I gave my statement at the station, I told the officer 'Let me say sorry to him'. 'After all he'd done, he still had a hold over me.' In October 2024, Jones pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle dangerously and harassment to put a person in fear of violence. With her hair cut into a bob, Lucy bravely attended his sentencing. She says: 'I wanted him to know he didn't control me anymore. 'I read my victim impact statement, bravely staring him down. 'Finally have my voice and freedom back and I'm going to use it to help others. 'With those who are still in domestic abuse relationships, the new plans won't give them any confidence to come forward and report their abusers. 'They already feel like there's no help and Labour are cutting off any shred of hope they may have had. 'It's beyond comprehension and makes me so sad at the state of our justice system.'
Powys County Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Pylon plans threaten to wipe out Powys harness racing event
A POPULAR summer sporting event in Powys could be erased from the calendar by plans to erect pylons across the county, a landowner has warned. Cilmery Harness Races has been a permanent fixture on the summer harness racing schedule for more than a decade. But, plans to scatter the Brecon and Radnorshire countryside with wind turbines and electricity pylons is threatening its future. The event, held every August at Cilmery Farm, on the edge of the village, lies directly in the path of the proposed Green GEN Cymru Towy Usk network, a 60-mile line of pylons through Powys. The route would start at the Nant Mithil Energy Park in the Radnor Forest and cut a swathe right through the heart of Powys, on its way to Carmarthen. Kevin Jones, a third-generation farmer at Cilmery Farm, has been approached by green energy firms, who want to build five pylons on his land – including one proposed on the last corner of the racetrack. 'I'm against it, I don't want the things,' said Kevin, 53, who has worked on the family farm since he was 17. 'I don't want or need them. I'll be looking straight out of my house at them. They look absolutely horrible. It's unspoilt countryside here, there's no pylons for miles around.' Huge changes afoot for school in Powys as consultation begins Man seen smashing car windscreen with broomstick was 'on path to destruction' From redundancy to writer - author's third novel is published by Harper Collins Two races per summer are held on the track, which Kevin agreed to host more than 15 years ago. 'My father-in-law is big into harness racing and he persuaded me to hold the races here,' said Kevin. 'It's a prestigious event locally and on the trotting calendar. I do it for the local community. 'But, it will be finished if or when the pylons go through, because we won't be able to get a licence or insurance for it. It'll be a health and safety nightmare, there's no way can you race round pylons.' Cilmery Farm sits alongside the A483 passing through the village towards Llanwrtyd Wells, with Kevin claiming the pylon on the last corner will have to be raised even higher than the others, because of a dip from the road to the field. The farm will be part of the route linking the Aberedw and Bryn Gilwern Energy Parks projects, either side of neighbouring Builth Wells, to Carmarthen. Kevin was first contacted by Green GEN around two years ago. 'I wanted them to go into another field but they keep coming back to the racecourse field,' he said. 'It's like hitting my head against a brick wall talking to them." 'Because it's a PEDW (Planning and Environment Decisions Wales, which deals with projects of national significance) application, all it takes is for the planning chief in Cardiff to sign it and it'll be go. We have no say.' He added: 'The compensation they're offering is peanuts too. I've been told around £5,000 or 6,000 as a one-off payment, but they haven't really told me. And I don't want it. 'When I contact them they tell me the person I need to speak to is on holiday.' Gareth Williams, grid director at Green GEN Cymru, said previously: 'It's imperative we act swiftly to harness Wales' renewable energy potential and get the green energy generated to the many homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and communities that need it in the rest of Wales and beyond. 'The existing network in Mid Wales does not have nearly enough capacity to connect all the new renewable energy we need, locally and nationally. 'To end the use of fossil fuels we need new infrastructure, and quickly. Our plans for the Towy Usk connection will help build a positive, clean future for us all.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Women's Health Week: Local doctors talk common health issues among aging women
BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C (WSAV) — As you age, you become more prone to issues surrounding your health. Local doctors said, in women specifically, there are many health misconceptions that are written off as normal, when women should actually seek help. Local doctors said that women often joke about their health-related issues being a part of getting 'old,' but there can be signs of something wrong. Brittle bones, for example, is something Orthopedic Surgeon with Novant Health, Dr. Kevin Jones said is likely Osteoporosis, a disease that causes bone density to weaken over time. 'Bone density is particularly important with women since women have a higher incidence of osteoporosis. And so, it's important that the bone density is monitored, particularly after about age 50,' said Jones. Women are at higher risk along with another disease he has seen often. 'The most common thing we see is Osteoarthritis, which means you lose the articular cartilage. In other words, the cushion that covers the bone starts to sand down. In the worst case, it wears all the way down to the bone so that it's vulnerable.' Police confirm 'exchange of gunfire' on GSU Armstrong campus Hawley grills insurance executives about cutting disaster payouts Women's Health Week: Local doctors talk common health issues among aging women SC representatives say execution was 'botched': letter Savannah-Chatham Interagency Council on Homelessness: A first of its kind in Georgia Urologist, Dr. Eric Gywnn of Novant Health, said that during or right after pregnancy, a weak or leaky bladder can be normal. If it continues to be an issue into older age, it is a more serious problem. 'There are some misconceptions out here. 'Well, I'm just getting older, so I'm going to have leakage of urine.' I mean, it's not true. It's very treatable.,' said Dr. Gwynn. 'We have to determine what causes the leakage and then we can treat it either with medication or minimally invasive surgical therapy or sometimes not surgery at all.' Dr. Gwynn recommended that women should seek bladder treatment sooner than later. 'The longer the bladder dysfunction goes on, the more difficult it is to treat. And sometimes it's a little more complicated to treat. So, from that early on, if there's pelvic organ prolapse or something going on vaginally, treating it earlier is better,' said Gwynn. Even the natural shift towards menopause is something OB-GYN, Dr. Meredith Mitchell said can cause women a lot of discomfort as they get older. 'I like to start by helping women understand what's happening in their body because it can be very confusing,' said Dr. Mitchell. 'Your cycles can change, sometimes your mood can change, your sleep changes, your weight can change. Sometimes you have brain fog, sometimes you have joint pain.' She said all women experience different symptoms, and not all women want the same treatments. 'It's not a one size fits all treatment for every woman. You have to really tailor it to each person.' Though it's a natural change, Dr. Mitchell said, women don't have to go through it without guidance. 'Sometimes just acknowledging and knowing what's going on is powerful, because you can understand what's going on and that helps you accept it and find ways to manage it.' The doctors said never to ignore the signs your body is giving you. If you feel in your gut that something isn't right, go to your doctor and ask for help. A long day of tests is better than a lifetime of worry. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Mayor
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
Hawaii's New Leave-No-Trace Tourist Tax—and Everything Else You Need to Know About This Week
Parts of Europe scramble to recover from a blackout, Uber's plans for self-driving Volkswagen vans in the U.S., an ex-NFL player revamps famous midcentury shelving, and more. Hawaii is raising its hotel tax to nearly 19 percent, with plans to use the estimated extra $100 million a year it would bring in to fight climate change—from wildfire prevention to beach restoration. Think of it as a leave-no-trace surcharge: if you love Hawaii's beauty, you'll help pay to protect it. ( NPR ) A massive blackout plunged Spain, Portugal, and parts of France into chaos, with trains halted, airports delayed, and water pumps failing. Engineers now face a 'black start' as they reconnect the grid piece by piece like 'assembling some hellishly complicated Ikea furniture.' ( Wired ) ) NYC's Rent Guidelines Board voted preliminarily to raise rents on nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments—up to 4.75 percent for one-year leases, and up to 7.75 percent for two-year leases. Tenant advocates blasted the move as an attack on affordability, while landlords said even the highest proposed hikes won't cover their maintenance costs. (The New York Times) Designer Kevin Jones, a former NFL running back, and his firm Joba Studio have released an update to USM's Haller shelving system that adds customizable touches. Photo courtesy of USM Uber is planning to roll out thousands of Volkswagen's self-driving electric vans, starting in Los Angeles by 2026. The ID. Buzz fleet will show up in the Uber app, but only after regulators give the company the go-ahead. (Design Boom) Former NFL player Kevin Jones reworked USM's famous Haller shelving with magnetic, reversible felt panels that snap on to metal frames. Here's how his radical update aims to bring a warmer, more human feel to the modular classic. (Dwell) Read More 2023 BMW iX M60 Is the Spicier Version of BMW's Electric SUV Top image courtesy of Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images. READ SOURCE
Business Mayor
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
How a Former NFL Player Made This Beloved '60s Shelving System Even More Modular
Former NFL running back Kevin Jones is full of surprises. Twenty five years ago, as the number-one college draft pick in the country, Jones was suspected to be choosing between Penn State and Virginia Tech. In a much-anticipated televised reveal, he picked up the Penn uniform and tossed it aside, ripping off his sweatshirt to reveal a VT jersey to announce he would be a Hokie. The stunt kicked off a long and fruitful pro-athlete career for Jones, who, after leaving Virginia Tech his junior year, went on to play for the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Then, when Jones retired in 2009, he made another surprising move, this time into the world of design. He returned to Virginia Tech for a bachelor's in industrial design followed by an MBA, and then founded his own design firm, Joba Studio (Joba is an acronym for Just One Billion Attempts) in 2015 to pursue his longtime passion for creating objects and environments. This year at Salone del Mobile in Milan, Jones unveiled his latest: an update to USM's famous Haller shelving that represents a major update to the modular system's functionality and industrial aesthetic. The release, a collaboration with French designer Marc Venot, introduces felted two-tone reversible panels and magnetic attachments that lets users customize their pieces on the fly. Here, Jones shares why it was time to bring a 'more connected, more human, and more modular' touch to the beloved utilitarian shelving, and how his former career on the gridiron helped prepare him for one working with one of the biggest design brands in the world. Designer Kevin Jones, a former NFL running back, and his firm Joba Studio have released an update to USM's Haller shelving system that adds customizable touches. Kevin Jones: I left early from Virginia Tech to enter the NFL draft, so I didn't finish my degree. I was studying business and property management. I didn't know about industrial design as a practice or major, and I thought architecture was the same as construction at that time, so I had really no desire to pursue it. During my time in the NFL, I was sponsored by Reebok, Under Armor, and Red Bull. Having those relationships, you get involved—I wanted to make a decision on the color for my cleats, or I wanted the bottom of my shoes to be all chrome so when I'm running past somebody, they see the shining sole of my shoe. Sitting at the tailor's shop, my wife was like, Oh, we got to be here all day, because I was so interested in the thread count of the fabrics and the colors. Back then, I didn't see athletes really caring about fashion and things like they do now, from the standpoint of, like, having a custom-made piece. So when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next, I thought fashion was my gig. I went back to Virginia Tech and told an advisor I wanted to study fashion. They said go to Parsons in New York. And I'm like, Well, I'm a Virginia Tech guy. So what would be comparable if I didn't do fashion? They said to go check out the architecture program—but again, I thought that that was construction. I talked to an advisor there, and she gave me a tour. They had this huge space where I saw architects and engineers and industrial designers. And I had an overwhelming sense of this is what I should be doing. As soon as I walked in the room, I was like, Oh my God. Product designers were making prosthetic legs and designing sneakers and handbags and all these different things over here, and then there were architecture students that had all these skyscrapers and buildings and pavilions. And I was just like, Yo, this is heaven. You completed an internship with USM during school. What types of experiences were exciting to you that maybe still resonate with you today that made you want to work with them again? In my junior year, I met the owner of USM at a Virginia Tech sporting event. He was a football fan, and invited my wife and I to sit in the president's box—my wife was the president of her class at VT, so that's why we were invited. We were having a conversation, and I said, Hey, do you guys give internships? And then he basically says, yes, but it wasn't like this positive, yeah, we do internships. When do you want to start? It didn't start off like that. But three months later, I got a call from my professor who said USM reached out and asked if I was still interested in an internship. I went to the company's headquarters in Switzerland and learned there was a process by which they do things. They manufacture on-site, so I was able to get a first hand experience of the company's history and how they make the products. I got really familiar with all the parts and the modules and their ethos and way of thinking. I also got to move around with the creative directors and the COO of the company. They had clients that were creatives—designers that worked for Louis Vuitton and all these other companies, but also work for USM. Most of the employees that work at USM are engineers: They never really have designers or creatives on their team because they don't want to have group think; they want creatives to stay innovative and not just be stuck with the same modules and tools. Because it was never on the table to go from being an intern to a creative person within the company, I found other ways to work with them—I had the USM internship, and then they recommended me to Scott, which is a bike and outdoor product company. And at the end of my senior year, I wound up using USM as my thesis project. The new release utilizes the same framework as the original shelving, but lets users swap out felted and patterned panels, which are fixed with magnets. It's like sports—there's a system that you put athletes into. That's why I like the USM Haller system—you have a set of rules, and you have a system, and you can play within those rules. These are the tool: In sports, you have a quarterback, a running back, offensive lineman, wide receiver; in the Haller system, you have a tube, a ball joint, and panels. This is how you put it together. For the new Soft Panel system, we were thinking about the phrase, 'More connected, more human, and more modular.' And I was scared to say more modular, because USM is the modular company, right? For us, it was a doubling down on the brand promise. Read More Apple's New, Impossibly Tiny Mac Mini is Now Carbon Neutral As a customer, I can build my Haller system from a modularity standpoint online. I can make what I want, but then when I get it in person, it's hard for me to change it and adapt it in my house to something different. You need special tools, and it's a tough process. So when we were creating the Soft Panel, we used magnets. It has magnets on the four corners, and you can literally just take a panel, and as soon as it hits the metal, it's in the frame. And then you can flip the panel up or down, or slide it left and right, depending on what size you have. We also have a two-color panel: Every time you flip the panel, we want the consumer to have a new option. If you have vertical lines on the panel, when you flip it, the other side is going to have color. Jones, USM, and French designer Marc Venot, a collaborator on the release, debuted the update at Salone del Mobile in Milan. One of the things that customers have said over the last 60 years is that this furniture is cold or it belongs in the office. That's not everybody's opinion, but we wondered how to warm this object up. We decided to make the panel softer, so that it can better live in your home, but the felted wool can also mix with the other metal panels. The Haller line is such a beloved product as-is, though! Why is now the right time to make such a big update? USM has 900-plus partners that sell their furniture, and they're always asking, How can we get something new? People know it as the iconic two-by-two, one-color system and or multicolor system. And how can we get a new product? So USM, over the years, has been adding small changes, like adding a charging port into the tube, or some lighting into the structure, or glass. This system gives partners more of something they've been yearning for for a while. It was USM's 60th anniversary—the Jubilee year of the company. So it kind of all lined up and made sense to have it launch in Milan at the same time to celebrate. 'Connected By Our Dreams' just came up through a jam session with the team. For me, it was a dream situation. This is a dream to design a product like this. And then I was like, well, this can also be a dream for USM's customers and partners; USM is the company fulfilling that. Related Reading: Why Are These Sleek Shelving Systems From the '60s Suddenly Everywhere? READ SOURCE businessmayor April 30, 2025
