Latest news with #Oliver!
Scottish Sun
16-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Real life 'Fagin' jailed for using kids to rob almost £1,000 of Lego
Trott went on a thieving spree throughout the South West PICK-A-POCKET Real life 'Fagin' jailed for using kids to rob almost £1,000 of Lego Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A "PRESENT-day Fagin' who used children to steal from shops across the south-west has been jailed. Bradley Trott, 32, travelled from town to town robbing thousands of pounds worth of toys and food items. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The city of Bath in Somerset which Trott targeted Credit: Alamy 4 Trott sitting outside Bristol magistrates court where he was jailed for theft 4 Fagin from the movie Oliver! who sent out children to steal for him Credit: Alamy He got one child to help him pick up Lego boxes worth £922.50 and sometimes took a group of kids with him to steal meat, cheese and other items. You have every appearance of being a present-day Fagin. A judge likened him to the character Fagin from Charles Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist who sent out children to pickpocket for him. District Judge Lynne Matthews said: 'You have every appearance of being a present-day Fagin. "You have been taking children into stores and getting them to help you steal goods to fund your habit. 'My view is that you pose a risk to children and it's very likely you will commit further offences.' Bristol magistrates heard he travelled around Bristol, Bath, Radstock and Glastonbury in Somerset on a thieving spree during January of this year. Trott, of Bristol, admitted five charges of theft and one of attempted theft – and all bar one offence involved at least one male child, who helped stash the stolen goods. He was jailed for 26 weeks. He also admitted driving a VW Golf high on cocaine and not having insurance. He is disqualified from driving for 21 months, which includes his prison sentence. The court heard he had a "decent family background" and started using substances at the age of 17. He was previously sentenced on January 29 for theft and given a community order, which tried to address his drug issues. DJ Matthews said the community order was not working and that children were "actively used to facilitate" the offences was an aggravating factor – so he was given his first prison sentence. Trott was also ordered to pay a statutory surcharge of £187 on his release.
Scottish Sun
06-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
I know why Rachel Reeves cried at PMQs – and it's a frightening scenario for our country
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RACHEL REEVES was crying at PMQs last week. What was significant was that it was in full public view, on the floor of the House of Commons. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Rachel Reeves crying during PMQs is a frightening sign 4 The waterworks on display from her this week were more about the future than the past Credit: AP She seemed hot and bothered. The atmosphere in the house, particularly in the summer, can be oppressive and the chamber of the Commons is not a comfortable place, even at the best of times. To my mind, however, Reeves was under a different kind of pressure. The waterworks on display from her this week were more about the future than the past. Her plan to cut spending by reforming welfare has been sabotaged. She will have to find more money. This includes £1.5billion to pay for Labour's winter fuel U-turn. Sheer helplessness And a £4.5billion gap after Sir Keir Starmer ditched plans to cut disability benefits. Coupled with sluggish growth, we all know what is coming. In the words of Fagin's song from the musical Oliver!, she will 'have to pick a pocket or two', entirely legally of course, to make the sums add up. Kwasi speaks out after being sacked & reveals he 'fled' after being ousted The impact of high immigration, low growth and already high taxes means that we can barely afford to pay for our welfare state. Her crying, I am sure, was a sign of the frustration she feels in her job. I did the job for some short turbulent weeks and I know the feeling of helplessness that it often entails. There is the feeling of being besieged. In politics, you are never in control of events, but the sense of sheer helplessness often does occur when you are in a senior position. At times like that, you have to adopt the old English 'stiff upper lip', in my view. Senior figures have to hold things together, when things are getting sticky. Nobody was better at that than our late Queen. She never cried, never got teary or outwardly sentimental, even under the most extreme provocation. Yet, as I saw Reeves on the front bench on Wednesday, I totally understood her predicament. The left-wing backbenchers in her party despise her. 4 The Chancellor's plan to cut spending by reforming welfare has been sabotaged Credit: PA They haven't even bothered to conceal their contempt. They want her out. Left-wing outrage is now being expressed by the creation of a new party. Jeremy Corbyn has said 'there is a thirst for an alternative' and 'a grouping will come together'. Time will tell if any of Labour's left wing — the usual awkward squad — actually join Corbyn's 'grouping'. Now Zarah Sultana, another left-wing firebrand MP, is going to join. Reeves is entirely dependent on the goodwill and patience of the PM Kwasi For all these types, Reeves is the scapegoat for everything they think is wrong with Labour in power. For hard-left MPs, Reeves and Keir Starmer stand for nothing. There is no love lost between them and the Labour leadership. In addition to the trouble from the Left, we read that some of Reeves's Cabinet colleagues have been briefing against her. She had warned them on Tuesday that tax rises in the autumn budget will be needed to cover the costs of the welfare U-turn. While the Institute for Fiscal Studies says she could be facing a £30billion black hole. Clearly, the welfare climbdown has made Angela Rayner more powerful. Reeves's position is obviously weaker. It is obvious that Reeves is a totally isolated figure within the Labour Party. Reeves's weak position is made worse by the fact that the prospects for the economy and taxes remain grim Kwasi Her position is similar to the school swot shunned by her peers in the playground. She provokes their antagonism and distrust. She is entirely dependent on the goodwill and patience of the PM. I know how that feels. Based on my personal experience, I think Starmer would be mad to get rid of her. Such a move would merely shorten his shelf life. His critics within Labour would feel emboldened to come after him. Yet I can tell you Prime Ministers, under extreme pressure, can do crazy things. He may well yet kick her to the kerb. Reeves's weak position is made worse by the fact that the prospects for the economy and taxes remain grim. Failing to get the welfare bill through in its original form means the £5billion savings won't materialise. Taxes, she has hinted, will have to go up. Even Reeves knows in her bones that higher taxes will kill our prospects for economic growth, for greater prosperity Kwasi Nobody knows which taxes will go up, but increases are on the way. All this pressure, and the prospect of more challenging days ahead are clearly weighing on the mind of the Chancellor. I know what the pressure feels like. I never felt like crying but we all deal with pressure differently. I won't condemn her for her tears. 'Doom loop' It's the substance of what they are doing and the tax-and-spend policies which I object to. There doesn't seem to be an end in sight. More spending and higher taxes. When she was in Opposition, Reeves spoke about the 'doom loop' we faced as a country. Low growth accompanying high spending and even higher taxes. Rinse and Repeat. That's the doom loop. A world where Britain spirals downwards, economically, to reach a point where living standards decline. Even Reeves knows in her bones that higher taxes will kill our prospects for economic growth, for greater prosperity. It is this frightening scenario, I suspect, which caused the teary outburst from the Chancellor.
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Huge pop star unrecognisable in rarely seen childhood snap
A sweet throwback snap of a bowl-cut boy with a cheeky grin has left fans stunned – because that innocent smile belongs to none other than pop icon Robbie Williams. With his wide grin, rosy cheeks and signature 70s bowl cut, the cute kid in this rarely seen childhood photo is almost impossible to recognise today. But despite humble beginnings, he would grow up to become one of Britain's biggest pop stars — loved by the nation for his charisma, chaos, and cheeky charm. Born Robert Peter Williams in 1974, the future star spent his early years in Burslem, a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent. Recognise his cheeky grin yet? Yes, it's none other than Robbie Williams - many years pre-Take That fame. He may have been all smiles for the camera, but Robbie's upbringing was far from easy. In a 2022 podcast, he described his childhood as one of 'absolute poverty,' while praising Jan for doing everything she could to give him and Sally the best start — from running a coffee shop to a florist. That resilience left a deep impression. 'My mum is the pillar of strength that has kept me sane throughout my mad life,' he's said. Robbie's parents, Peter and Jan, divorced when he was just three, and he remained with his mum and half-sister Sally. 'What she managed to do by herself as a single parent raising two kids was nothing short of miraculous,' he later said. Though he would go on to achieve global fame, the singer never forgot his roots. 'I love where I'm from. I love my people, I love my tribe, I love the sense of humour.' As a young boy, Robbie dreamed of playing for his beloved Port Vale Football Club, though he admitted he was 'never good enough to be a pro.' At school, he struggled too: Failing most of his GCSEs, he later discovered he is neurodivergent, with dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. 'I just thought I was dumb,' he said. But instead of letting it hold him back, he used it to propel him even further, 'It was the most important bit of fuel I ever got.' It was on stage, not in the classroom, that he first found a sense of value - starring in school plays like Oliver! and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 'I remember the overwhelming feeling of euphoria when I got an ovation. It blew my mind to be valued for something.' That love of performance ran in the family. His father, Pete Conway, was a comic and singer who regularly performed with Robbie on tour. 'My dad was, and is, my hero,' he once said. 'I wanted to be him, sing like him, tell jokes like him.' The pair toured together for over a decade, until Pete's Parkinson's diagnosis made it too difficult. 'He won't be able to do it with me anymore and that saddens me.' But Robbie's big break came at age 16, when a letter from Jan led to an audition for a boyband. After a lacklustre performance, he left the room - but before making his exit, he shot manager Nigel Martin-Smith a cheeky wink. 'So if it wasn't for that wink, none of this would exist,' he later said. That wink earned him a spot in Take That … and the rest is history.
Otago Daily Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Rehearsals in full swing for double-cast musical
In a twist, Oliver! will not only be played by one girl, but two, for the Musical Theatre Oamaru production next month. Based on Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!, from 1960, it is set in Victorian London and tells the story of a young orphan who dares to ask for more and is thrust into a world filled with hardship and hope. The musical is based on Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist. Double-casting for the stage musical was necessary due to the size and age of the cast, and the length of the show that will run from July 10 to July 19 at the Oamaru Opera House. Musical theatre president Melissa Yockney said there was a cast of 85 on stage, 50 of whom were under the age of 18, an orchestra of 15, and about 40 people back stage for the eight shows that will run at two and a-half hours each, including interval. Ms Yockney said the show rehearsals were in full swing. "It's going really well so far. "We've been rehearsing since we had auditions at the start of March. Now we're into what we call the directing rehearsals, where the director Helen Horsnell, has come in to put everything together, so all the scenes now start flowing. "Our director is very experienced and was also the president of Musical Theatre New Zealand in recent years, so she knows her stuff," she said. Three female leads have been cast: Oliver Twist will be played by Corrin Richardson, 9, and Quinn Conlan, 10 and, the role of the Artful Dodger will be played by Jemima Riley-Duddin, 16. The dynamic community production was the result of many months of dedicated rehearsals, teamwork, and behind-the-scenes effort, she said. Ms Yockney said the team included musical director Samuel Leaper, props manager Lynda Yockney, wardrobe mistress Pat Gunn, set decorator Paul Frisby, choreographer Anna Stuart, choreography assistant Shannon Bond, production assistant Julie Barclay and vocal assistant Sonya Creedy. "It's a great team ... it's a very prop and costume-heavy show. I think there are about 200 costume changes all-up," she said. Weekend and evening rehearsals began at Oamaru Intermediate School and Weston church, while the majority of rehearsals will continue at the Opera House until the beginning of the show, Ms Yockney said. She said they had 120 people audition, "which was amazing". The cast has been split into two groups, red and blue, to perform on alternate nights, including the double-casting of the "orphans". "We've got to keep in mind the ages of the kids and the hours that we can keep them." Ms Yockney said if anyone was interested in helping back stage they could email her at production@
Metro
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Coronation Street fan-favourite to stay on show as star signs new contract
Another Coronation Street favourite's future on the cobbles has been confirmed, with the star having signed a new contract to stay in the cast. Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) has quickly become a fan-favourite with her outgoing nature behind the Rovers bar, with her penchant for karaoke bringing joy to viewers. In recent weeks, her antics have become even more outrageous since being made manager of the local boozer. Though the Rovers is still on the market with owner Carla Connor (Alison King) having yet to find a buyer, Glenda's future on the cobbles has been confirmed. 'I've just re-signed my contract! The poor things have got stuck with me for another year!' Jodie told Bella Magazine. 'I'm thrilled. I love it there. I used to always say to my agent, 'Would you ask if I can be on Corrie?' 'I was that crazy person outside, pitched in a tent, wanting to get in – and now I'm in!' Metro has reached out to Coronation Street for comment. Glenda first appeared on our screens in 2022, arriving on Coronation Street after working as an entertainer on a cruise ship. As the sister of George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) she quickly found her place among the locals and settled in behind the bar of the Rovers. However, she didn't entirely leave her entertaining background behind, as she purchased a franchise of theatre school Little Big Shotz in 2023. More recently, she embarked on a brief romance with Michael Bailey (Ryan Russell), and was left terrified after being attacked during a break-in at the pub. More Trending She also found herself at odds with brother George after learning that she had inherited half of the family business. Prior to taking on the role of Glenda, Jodie had an illustrious stage career, after winning the reality TV series I'd Do Anything. View More » The show aimed to find a new star to take on the role of Nancy in the West End revival of Oliver!, with Jodie beating out the likes of Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley and star of stage and screen Samantha Barks for the coveted prize. MORE: Huge update on 'missing' Coronation Street legend – and he's coming back MORE: EastEnders' Heather Peace shares positive update after cancer diagnosis MORE: ITV legend speaks out after influx of messages and urges fans to 'please listen'
