Latest news with #Sean
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Widow's agony as man found dead in council loo six days after he was reported missing
A grieving widow is demanding answers after her husband's body was found in a locked toilet cubicle at a council's head office - six days after he went missing. Heartbroken Julie Stephen says she's 'baffled' why nobody had realised her 38-year-old partner Sean was still in the loo cubicle at Edinburgh City Chambers. The 47-year-old had been chatting with her spouse - who complained of feeling unwell - on the phone as he went into the local authority's Royal Mile buildings on July 1. But she was unable to reach him later on, she reported him missing. However, he wasn't discovered until almost a week later. Speaking on a TikTok LIVE Mrs Stephen said: 'There's CCTV footage of him on the phone to me walking up the Royal Mile and into the council building. 'He was healthy but said he was feeling dizzy and sick. He said he was going to get a taxi. 'I came off the phone when he was going to do the toilet. That was the last time I spoke to him. 'It baffles me. 'There are security guards, cleaners and someone who sits at reception. 'The CID are still digging. 'Could he have been saved? These are questions which will be in my head for rest of my life.' Ms Stephen posted a picture of him online with the caption, 'Shame on Edinburgh district council.' The couple had been married since 2019 and she said she knew something was wrong when Sean wasn't answering his phone, prompting her to call 999 that evening. She added: 'I spoke to police on the phone but the first response I got was he's 38 years old. He couldn't be a missing person (yet) because of his age. 'We spent a week looking for him and put flyers in shops. 'We went searching everywhere. We were two minutes away from him, we didn't expect him to be in a locked building. 'When they found him, his body was so decomposed. I couldn't even see his body. 'I had to give his toothbrush for DNA. 'This could happen to anybody. It's horrible, it's torture.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by friends to help raise funds to cover the funeral costs for the 'loving gentle giant'. Ms Stephen said: 'I'm emotionally drained. I'm just asking for help. 'I just want to bring his body home and lay him to rest. 'I will get the answers but right now I just need to lay him to rest.' A spokesman for the city council said: 'We're continuing to assist Police Scotland with their inquiries and can't comment any further at this stage.' A police spokesman said: 'At 9.20pm on Tuesday, 1 July, 2025 we received a report of concern for a 38-year-old man in the Edinburgh area who failed to make an pre-arranged appointment. 'Enquiries were carried out to trace him and he was traced deceased on Monday, 7 July in the High Street area of Edinburgh.'
Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I don't know how no one noticed my husband lying dead in toilet for six days'
Julie Stephen says she's "baffled" as to how Edinburgh council employees failed to notice a dead body in the bathroom of their City Chambers building for almost a week A grieving wife "can't understand" how her husband's body lay unnoticed in a council toilet for six days. Julie Stephen, 47, was speaking to her husband Sean on the phone when he entered a cubicle at Edinburgh's City Chambers because he started feeling unwell. But the 38-year-old failed to emerge from the building, with Julie reporting him missing some hours later on July 1. Julie says "it baffles me" that the security guards, cleaners, and receptionist at the council building had failed to notice a dead body in the toilet for almost a week. Shortly after his body was discovered, Julie - who married Sean back in 1999 - took to social media to slam the council. "Shame on Edinburgh Council," she wrote. "Left you inside their building for a week. You could've been saved." When Julie contacted police that evening, she was told he couldn't be registered as a missing person because of his age. Without their support, Julie and Sean's loved ones spent a week searching and putting flyers up in shops. Julie told the Daily Record: 'There's CCTV footage of him on the phone to me walking up the Royal Mile and into the council building. 'He was healthy but said he was feeling dizzy and sick. He said he was going to get a taxi. I came off the phone when he was going to do the toilet. That was the last time I spoke to him. 'Could he have been saved? These are questions which will be in my head for rest of my life.' She added: 'We went searching everywhere. We were two minutes away from him, we didn't expect him to be in a locked building. When they found him his body was so decomposed. I couldn't even see his body. 'I had to give his toothbrush for DNA. This could happen to anybody. It's horrible, it's torture.' Julie said the ordeal has left her "emotionally drained" and she's asking for help to "bring his body home and lay him to rest". 'I will get the answers but right now I just need to lay him to rest", she said. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'At 9.20pm on Tuesday, 1 July, 2025 we received a report of concern for a 38-year-old man in the Edinburgh area who failed to make an pre-arranged appointment. Enquiries were carried out to trace him and he was traced deceased on Monday, 7 July in the High Street area of Edinburgh.' A Council spokesperson said: 'We're continuing to assist Police Scotland with their inquiries and can't comment any further at this stage.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by pals to help raise funds to cover the funeral costs for the 'loving gentle giant'. Sean's pal Adele Ford, who set up the Gofundme page, said: 'I'm looking to raise some funds towards Sean's funeral costs. It's to lift a bit pressure off his wife Julie and family. Sean went missing on 1st July 2025 and unfortunately was found dead on 7th July 2025. 'This was very unexpected. He's only 38 years old he had his full life ahead of him he was the most loving gentle giant you'd ever meet. He was born and bred in the Southside area of Edinburgh and was well known by a lot of people 'I was like a sister to Sean. We are absolutely devastated that he was found dead, unexplained. Any help would be appreciated to give him the best send off he deserves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.'
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
Expert issues stark heatwave prediction amid dramatic rise in Scotland's flip-flop weather
LAST weekend the sun was splitting the skies as the mercury hit a searing 32°C – with Scots heading to beaches to soak up the rays. But just days later the temperatures have plummeted to as low as 15C with torrential rain that has caused localised flooding. 3 Beaches were mobbed at the weekend as Scots soaked up the sun 3 Last year places like Malaga were flooded The conditions have been dubbed 'weather whiplash' – but these extremes of glorious sunshine followed by heavy rainfall are set to become the norm across the UK. Today, we speak to STV weather-man Sean Batty about our flip flop summer. SEAN Batty has watched this summer's stats in amazement as Malaga was lashed with 300mm of torrential rainfall at the exact same time East Lothian was left parched by just 20mm. Then Aviemore topped the temperature charts with 32.2c at the weekend, while Scots are now having to endure temps of just half that, along with prolonged downpours in a phenomenon nicknamed 'weather whiplash'. 3 STV presenter Sean Batty said our flip flop summer is just getting started But Sean believes that this summer of madness is only just getting started. He said: 'One of the most concerning trends we're seeing is the increasingly extreme heat, which is becoming a regular feature of Mediterranean summers. 'Record-breaking temperatures are now the norm across the region, and if that wasn't enough, the weather swings have become more dramatic — just look at Spain. 'After enduring a relentlessly wet and flood-prone spring, the country is now facing intense heat. 'In Malaga, a popular holiday destination for many Scots, the summer was unusually wet, with nearly 300mm of rain—far above average—while places like East Lothian saw barely 20mm in the same period. Simple five-second rule to see if it's too hot to walk your dog and how to tell the four-legged friend has had a heatstroke, expert reveals 'What's also worrying is that temperatures in parts of Spain and Portugal have already hit the mid-40s on several occasions — and this is before we've even reached the typically hotter period of August. 'It's because of this extreme heat to our south that we've been hitting the high 20s and low 30s when we pick up a southerly air flow.' For that reason Sean is not surprised the term 'weather whiplash' has been doing the rounds on X and Facebook. He says: 'It isn't an official meteorological term, it's more of a social media creation that's gained traction in recent years to describe the increasingly dramatic swings in weather we're experiencing. 'In Scotland our summers flip flop like this. Usually high pressure lasts a little longer in May and June and this is why we had a much longer spell of fine, albeit not quite as warm, weather back then. 'Then when it gets to the Scottish school holiday season we tend to have more of what I call 'one day wonders' where we get red hot heat and sunshine which is then quickly followed by a return to rain.' This year has also seen an outbreak of wildfires, including the biggest one ever recorded covering 37 square miles in Invernessshire. Sean, 43, said: 'Wildfires seemed to break out everywhere during the spring. 'That was largely due to the extended spell of dry weather, which significantly increased the fire risk. 'Dead vegetation and weeds left over from the previous year had dried out over winter, creating a bed of highly flammable material. All it takes is a stray match or an unattended BBQ to ignite it. 'At this time of year, you'll also notice just how quickly the ground dries out after a shower. 'It's a clear sign of how intense our summer sun can be and, after just a few days like this, conditions can become risky." What's more, it doesn't always take an open flame to start a wildfire. Something as simple as a discarded glass bottle can concentrate sunlight enough to ignite dry grass or heather.' It was reported this week that air conditioning sales in the UK have seen an increase of 64 per cent in the last year. And while that will mainly be in the South East of England, Sean believes air con could become a norm in Scotland too. He said: 'What you have to remember when it comes to heat is that us Scots are less tolerant of it. 'That's why the heatwave threshold is three days above 28C in London compared to 25C in Scotland. 'So with surges of increasingly warm air each year it'll no doubt have more people requesting to have air conditioning installed in the coming years.' And Sean remains confident that records will continue to fall over the next five years due to the dramatically changing weather conditions. He said: 'We're seeing volatile weather becoming more frequent—everything from massive snowfalls and powerful wind storms to extreme heat and intense downpours. 'I have predicted that we'll likely break Scotland's current record high of 34.8C, set in 2022, within the next five years. 'While it still seems very unlikely that we'll reach the 40s as seen in parts of England—at least within our lifetimes—one thing I've quickly come to realise is that, with weather like this, you can never say never. 'The pace of change has been staggering - even surprising meteorologists at just how rapidly records are falling.'
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Grieving widow demands to know how her husband's body lay uncovered in council toilets for six days
A grieving widow is demanding answers from the authorities after her husband's body lay uncovered in council toilets for six days. Heartbroken Julie Stephen says she's 'baffled' why nobody had realised the 38-year-old was still in the loo cubicle at Edinburgh City Chambers. The 47-year-old had been chatting with Sean - who complained of feeling unwell - on the phone as he went into the local authority's Royal Mile buildings on July 1. But she was unable to reach him later on, she reported him missing. However, he wasn't discovered until almost a week later. Speaking on a TikTok LIVE Julie said: 'There's CCTV footage of him on the phone to me walking up the Royal Mile and into the council building. 'He was healthy but said he was feeling dizzy and sick. He said he was going to get a taxi. 'I came off the phone when he was going to do the toilet. That was the last time I spoke to him. 'How's no one been in that toilet for six days, it baffles me. 'There are security guards, cleaners and someone who sits at reception. 'The CID are still digging. 'Could he have been saved? These are questions which will be in my head for rest of my life.' Ms Stephen posted a picture of him online with the caption, 'Shame on Edinburgh district council. 'Left you inside their building for a week. You could've been saved.' The couple had been married since 2019 and she said she knew something was wrong when Sean wasn't answering his phone, prompting her to call 999 that evening. She added: 'I spoke to police on the phone but the first response I got was he's 38 years old. He couldn't be a missing person (yet) because of his age. 'We spent a week looking for him and put flyers in shops. 'We went searching everywhere. We were two minutes away from him, we didn't expect him to be in a locked building. 'When they found him his body was so decomposed. I couldn't even see his body. 'I had to give his toothbrush for DNA. 'This could happen to anybody. It's horrible, it's torture.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by friends to help raise funds to cover the funeral costs for the 'loving gentle giant'. Ms Stephen said: 'I'm emotionally drained. I'm just asking for help. 'I just want to bring his body home and lay him to rest. 'I will get the answers but right now I just need to lay him to rest.' A spokesman for the city council said: 'We're continuing to assist Police Scotland with their inquiries and can't comment any further at this stage.' A police spokesman said: 'At 9.20pm on Tuesday, 1 July, 2025 we received a report of concern for a 38-year-old man in the Edinburgh area who failed to make an pre-arranged appointment. 'Enquiries were carried out to trace him and he was traced deceased on Monday, 7 July in the High Street area of Edinburgh.'
Irish Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
The fitness test that could help add years to your life
First, the good news. Your Fitter Happier correspondent is in the highest tier when it comes to fitness and longevity. And comfortably so. A maiden VO2 Max test and a score of 50.8, at the age of 47, and we are chuffed as we wipe away the sweat after almost 15 minutes on a treadmill, with pace and incline going up every 60 seconds. Then it's off to Sean Kinane from My Health Matters' office for a breakdown of our results, and how we can optimise our training. So what is VO2? 'Vo2 is the amount of oxygen you consume in millilitres per kilogram of body mass, averaged over one minute,' Sean replies. 'Your peak score is 50.8. If we categorise it, you are 47-years-old. In order for you to be classed as superior, you need to get over 48.1, so we class your fitness as superior.' And then the caveat. 'Having a superior Vo2 doesn't guarantee anything in regards to performance, it guarantees potential,' says Sean, who can be found on Instagram. 'If we train you the right way and we get you to use that Vo2, you are going to train a lot better. But as a health metric, there is no other known metric to predict longevity as accurately as Vo2.' So, how do we utilise this information? A test with Sean offers more than just one number. He opens his laptop and suddenly an array of charts and figures appear. 'We help everybody from any sport to produce better performances,' he says. 'That comes to play by understanding energy systems and understanding when to push and when not to push. 'It boils down to zones and zones boil down to energy systems - aerobic and anaerobic. 'When we are aerobic, we create energy with high levels of oxygen, and as a result we are efficient, durable and sustainability is high. 'Then we reach a turnover point, because the body is demanding energy at such a high level we can't do it by being aerobic dominant, so we become anaerobic dominant. 'When we are anaerobic, we use less oxygen. We use significantly more glycogen - nearly 99.9 percent when we get anaerobic.' Sean monitor's MirrorSport's Mark McCadden as he takes a VO2 Max test (Image: Sean Kinane) Sean, who has a series of podcasts exploring various topics relating to fitness and nutrition, points to one of the charts and says: 'You can see here, the number (154 beats per minute) that is called your 'anaerobic threshold'. 'This is personal to you and it is where you go from dominant aerobic to dominant anaerobic. 'Anything below your anaerobic threshold, you can do endurance stuff with - longer runs, easier runs, endurance-based runs. 'Once you are above 154, you are anaerobic dominant. There is an increased risk of injury, cramp, fatigue, overtraining, and you deplete glycogen at a higher level.' According to Sean, more people who come to him are overtrained, rather than undertrained. Slowing down is key to building a stronger foundation and, ultimately, better performances in long-distance pursuits. 'In every session people feel like they need to do 100 out of 10. It's push, push, push. If you are not getting sick on the ground, it's not worth it,' he says. 'Then you are looking at lowered immunity, injury, male sex drive, can't get an erection, whatever. This is fight or flight, the parasympathetic nervous system, it's not a good place to be all the time. But that's the industry that we are in at the moment. 'If we optimise our stimulation through measured bouts of high intensity training, and we optimise our lower intensity training, we facilitate growth, adaptation and recovery. 'From a health perspective, the zone two concept has been proven to decrease risk of all causes of mortality by up to about 20 percent, if done for a minimum of 90 minutes per week. 'If that was a drug, it would be the best selling drug in the world. It's free and it's neglected. 'The power of zone two, low intensity for aerobic or under-threshold training is absolutely phenomenal. 'But people just go and train blind. It's all about pace; they push and push.' Another eye-opening revelation from Sean deals with nutrition. I thought for years I was fuelling the right way, but it turns out I was blocking the burning of fat cells by avoiding some of the tastier options. He turns to another chart and says: 'In black is your calories from fat, in yellow is your calories from carbohydrates. 'You are fat-dominant up to around heart-rate 115. After that, once you get above 130, you start to utilise more carbohydrates than fat. Then we become very, very much so carb-dominant very quickly. 'If you are doing lots of anaerobic exercise and you are not attentive to the demands of glycogen, if you go into a tough session fasting, it's like running with the brakes on. 'It could be something as simple as using a bottle of Energize pre-training session, or during your session. That can be invaluable. 'I ate more bowls of Frosties in 20 weeks last year training for the Dublin Marathon than I did in 20 years. 'It's the simple carbohydrate that wins - cereal, dates, Nature Valley bars, Energize, Lucozade, smoothies, pears, jam, honey. 'Rocking up to train with no adequate fuel and expecting to perform at a high intensity level is like driving your car without petrol. It isn't going to work.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
