Latest news with #RussellJones
Leader Live
7 days ago
- General
- Leader Live
Chester: Wrexham man sentenced after harassment incident
Russell Jones, 44, of Mwyn Ffordd, attended Chester Magistrates' Court for sentencing on Tuesday, June 3, having pleaded guilty to both offences on Friday, May 2. CPS prosecutor Angela Blackmore said that the victim had been parking up near her home shortly after midnight on Friday, February 21, and spotted that a man was watching her. She rolled down the window, and Jones asked if she had a phone charger, then began to make a series of sexual comments. Ms Blackmore told the court that Jones had leant on the bonnet, which made the victim scared to leave the vehicle, and said he'd 'hired a girl for the night' and was trying to find out where the address was, before asking again for a charger. The victim had said she felt 'afraid' during the exchange and Jones continue to talk about 'Russian girls' and 'getting with a girl' which she found 'very unsettling'. He asked her intimate questions along with other comments and 'vulgar remarks'. OTHER COURT NEWS: Jealous thug headbutted ex after 'asking about her sex life with new man' Man hurled abuse at hospital staff whilst 'drinking cans of lager in A&E' Woman drove wrong way along A483 in Wrexham whilst 'very drunk,' court told At this point she locked the doors of the car and texted her friends, she also felt she could not leave the vehicle and go into her home, as this would alert Jones to where she lived. The court heard that the incident lasted about 15 minutes in total, at which point the victim's friends arrived in another vehicle and an altercation took place between them and Jones. Police later arrived and this seemed to deter Jones. The victim then went to her friend's house, where she made a statement and stayed over as 'she did not feel safe staying at home'. Jones told officers that he had been waiting to meet somebody and had needed to charge his phone. While being searched by officers, three bags of white powder were discovered which were later confirmed to be cocaine. He described the exchange with the victim as 'for want of a better word 'banter'". The defence said Jones struggled with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression and had used alcohol as a coping mechanism for ongoing mental health issues. The court heard that he had wanted to apologise and 'does not seek to excuse his actions.' He had reflected on the incident and was now 'being proactive' to ensure that an incident like this would not happen again, by seeking help for his mental health, alcohol and drug issues. Magistrates said that the incident 'must have been disturbing for her and it was disgusting behaviour'. Jones will complete 120 hours of unpaid work, and pay a fine of £807, a victim surcharge of £323, and court costs of £85.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon and Gopuff partner for rapid grocery delivery in UK
E-commerce giant Amazon has collaborated with delivery service provider Gopuff to launch rapid grocery delivery services in the UK. The service will initially be available in Birmingham and Salford, enabling Amazon customers to order grocery items, including alcohol and snacks. Customers can receive their order in less than an hour and possibly in as little as 15 minutes, 24/7. Amazon grocery partnerships director Russell Jones stated: 'Working with grocery retail partners is an important part of our offering, giving customers more choice and more convenient options to have groceries delivered from their favourite stores and brands, ordered via our website. We are excited to bring Gopuff to Amazon customers and to offer our Prime members even more savings, with free delivery on their first order over £20 and other great value discounts.' Gopuff joins Amazon's existing roster of grocery retailers, which includes Morrisons, Iceland and Co-op within the UK market. Customers can access Gopuff's offerings through Amazon's dedicated portal at or through the company's app. Gopuff UK and new business senioer vice-president Alberto Menolascina stated: 'At Gopuff, we've spent the past 12 years building the infrastructure needed to deliver groceries and essentials in less than 60 mins and as fast as 15 minutes, enabling us to offer customers the ultimate convenience — affordably. We're delighted to bring this shopping experience to even more customers thanks to our partnership with Amazon which, at launch, enables customers in Birmingham and Salford to conveniently access our service through their Amazon account.' This UK initiative follows Amazon's recent international collaborations with Knuspr in Germany and Jüsto in Mexico. In November 2024, Amazon partnered British supermarket company Asda to offer its customers parcel pick-up and label-free, box-free returns services at more than 700 Asda stores across the UK. "Amazon and Gopuff partner for rapid grocery delivery in UK" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Westpac NZ Supports Open Banking Rollout By Not Charging Fintechs For Standard API Calls
Press Release – Westpac New Zealand Allowing fintechs to integrate into our open banking APIs for no cost should create a more affordable business model for them, and ultimately speed up access for Kiwi consumers to a wide range of affordable open banking experiences, Westpac NZ Chief … Westpac NZ is supporting the rollout of open banking in New Zealand by making standard API requests through its systems free for accredited third-party providers, for at least the first 12 months. 'Allowing fintechs to integrate into our open banking APIs for no cost should create a more affordable business model for them, and ultimately speed up access for Kiwi consumers to a wide range of affordable open banking experiences,' Westpac NZ Chief Information Officer Russell Jones says. 'As an early participant in Online EFTPOS from 2019, we understand the value of providing consumers with more options for making payments and managing their money in a safe and secure way. 'We already have agreements in place with a number of fintechs, and we've notified them of their reduced pricing, which we'll review in 12 months' time as the open banking landscape evolves. We expect to enter into agreements with a number of new fintechs in the near future. 'We're already facilitating thousands of open banking payments a month for Kiwi consumers, and we expect that to keep growing steadily as trust and awareness of open banking grows.' Mr Jones says an industry-wide collaborative approach is needed to make open banking a success. 'We're keen to ensure New Zealand's open banking ecosystem is viable in the long term and we hope to see it expand to include all financial services participants. 'We look forward to MBIE releasing the central accreditation model, which will further streamline the onboarding experience by removing the need for fintechs to enter into multiple bilateral agreements with open banking providers. 'Consumer confidence is also key to the successful uptake of open banking, and we continue to work with the industry on future API standards that are safe and secure, as well as providing a seamless and efficient partnering process with third parties that creates trust in the system. 'From an operational perspective, we're on track to meet the 30 May deadline for Payments NZ's API Centre Payment Initiation implementation plan version 2.3. This will give customers increased functionality and choice for making both one-off and regular ongoing payments.' More information about Westpac's open banking work can be found on its website, including a list of current integrated third-party providers. Earlier this month, the government released guidance that bank charges for open banking must not exceed 1 cent per successful API call for account information and 5 cents per transaction for payments.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Westpac NZ Supports Open Banking Rollout By Not Charging Fintechs For Standard API Calls
Westpac NZ is supporting the rollout of open banking in New Zealand by making standard API requests through its systems free for accredited third-party providers, for at least the first 12 months. 'Allowing fintechs to integrate into our open banking APIs for no cost should create a more affordable business model for them, and ultimately speed up access for Kiwi consumers to a wide range of affordable open banking experiences,' Westpac NZ Chief Information Officer Russell Jones says. 'As an early participant in Online EFTPOS from 2019, we understand the value of providing consumers with more options for making payments and managing their money in a safe and secure way. 'We already have agreements in place with a number of fintechs, and we've notified them of their reduced pricing, which we'll review in 12 months' time as the open banking landscape evolves. We expect to enter into agreements with a number of new fintechs in the near future. 'We're already facilitating thousands of open banking payments a month for Kiwi consumers, and we expect that to keep growing steadily as trust and awareness of open banking grows.' Mr Jones says an industry-wide collaborative approach is needed to make open banking a success. 'We're keen to ensure New Zealand's open banking ecosystem is viable in the long term and we hope to see it expand to include all financial services participants. 'We look forward to MBIE releasing the central accreditation model, which will further streamline the onboarding experience by removing the need for fintechs to enter into multiple bilateral agreements with open banking providers. 'Consumer confidence is also key to the successful uptake of open banking, and we continue to work with the industry on future API standards that are safe and secure, as well as providing a seamless and efficient partnering process with third parties that creates trust in the system. 'From an operational perspective, we're on track to meet the 30 May deadline for Payments NZ's API Centre Payment Initiation implementation plan version 2.3. This will give customers increased functionality and choice for making both one-off and regular ongoing payments.' More information about Westpac's open banking work can be found on its website, including a list of current integrated third-party providers. Earlier this month, the government released guidance that bank charges for open banking must not exceed 1 cent per successful API call for account information and 5 cents per transaction for payments.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bolton schoolfriends' epic journey to pay tribute to those who died in the Great War
Four childhood friends are undertaking an epic journey to visit the war graves of fallen soldiers from their school. Colin Higham, Kevan Ball and Rob Taylor will cycle 634 miles along the Western Front Way next month, with Russell Jones providing support. The trail follows the historic frontline of the First World War, from the French-Swiss border to the beaches of Belgium. The quartet, who will all turn 65 this year, met when they were schoolboys at Rivington and Blackrod School, and will visit the graves of 16 of the 24 young men from their old school who died during the war. Colin Higham was struck by the idea after reading The Path of Peace: Walking the Western Front Way by Anthony Seldon. He said: "I had read this book and we were all sat there saying what are we going to do now we are retiring. "I had started cycling again with a local group, and was also involved in the school again, having been to the chapel for a service and seeing the names of the fallen soldiers in the stained glass windows. The window at the Rivington and Blackrod High School Chapel (Image: Public) "So we were chatting and ended up saying why don't we walk the route, then why not cycle it. "The lads involved have stayed in touch for many years, and they said let's do it. Every few years we get together." Read more: High school pupils raise money in memory of Manchester Arena bombing victim Read more: Bolton teenager's gruelling 80-mile hike in memory of her dad who died aged just 51 Read more: Bolton boxer donates thousands from his big fight ticket commission to cancer charity They will leave home on June 2, before beginning the ride in Basel on June 4. The quartet are also raising money for three charities - the Royal British Legion, Children in Need and St Ann's Hospice. To donate, click here: The route map (Image: Public) Colin added: "I think we are looking at about 10 to 12 days, doing 60 miles a day. "We have found the fallen soldiers' graves and memorials and we intend to visit them and photograph it. "We are also going to get the children at the school involved, they will be able to track us on a daily basis and we can send photographs. "The graves are in historical PNS/JNS and we are quite excited about it." For more information on the Western Front Way, visit the Western Front Association's website: Kevan Ball said: "This challenge is about more than just a cycle ride. It's a journey of remembrance, honouring the memory of local heroes and supporting vital charitable causes that continue to make a difference in our community." Vicki Walmsley, Headmistress at Rivington and Blackrod High School, said: 'I am proud to support these ex-pupils undertaking this phenomenal cycle challenge, demonstrating the same courage and resilience as the brave Rivingtonians who made the ultimate sacrifice in WW1. "The selfless efforts these lads are making, for the benefit of great causes, demonstrates the values that we have always aspired to at Rivington and Blackrod School for more than a hundred years and continue to strive for today.'
