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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Rider injured after dogs spook horse wins £500k
An international dressage rider left seriously injured after a pack of dogs spooked her horse has won £500,000 in damages. Melissa Smith was left with multiple fractures when her horse reared up and threw her to the ground after being chased by two loose dogs taken off the lead by a professional dog walker. Ms Smith was airlifted to St George's Hospital in Tooting, south-London, with life-threatening injuries including a broken pelvis, broken back and a head injury after the accident on a bridlepath in Surrey, in December 2018. The former international grand prix rider, who spent months in a wheelchair and required multiple surgeries following the accident, has since learnt to walk again and managed to get back in the saddle. She is now hoping to return to dressage competition as a para rider. Following the accident, Ms Smith sued dog walker Diane Worth for damages for negligence. The case went to court in 2023 after the dog walker's insurance company contested the case. Judge Jonathan Simpkiss found in Ms Smith's favour and the case was finally settled out of court last month. The judgment is thought to have important implications in laying out the responsibilities for dog walkers exercising their animals on public rights of way. The accident happened when Ms Smith, who ran a livery yard and trained dressage horses, was riding her eight-year-old mare Lorentina, known as Loti, and met Ms Worth walking four dogs on Crooksbury Common, Surrey. The High Court heard that Ms Smith called out a warning to Ms Worth, who managed to put two of the dogs back on their leads. But the court heard that she was unable to catch black cockapoo Buddy and Harley, a white cavapoochon. Ignoring Ms Worth's calls, Buddy and Harley ran around, prompting Ms Smith to call out that although her horse was good with dogs, their walker should not let them get behind her horse in case it kicked out. In court, Ms Worth agreed she had lost control of the two dogs. As the dogs raced around, Lorentina became spooked and suddenly reared up, throwing Ms Smith to the ground. Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Ms Smith told of the devastating impact of the accident: 'The horse I was riding was badly frightened by the loose dogs and she fell on top of me, crushing me, becoming stuck with her legs up in the air. 'She managed to get up but I knew I was very seriously injured. I was taken by air ambulance to St George's where I was told I had life-threatening injuries, needed emergency surgery and would need two years' rehabilitation to recover.' In his ruling, Judge Simpkiss said: 'Something out of the ordinary must have happened to cause Loti to rear and this can only have been the dogs' behaviour. 'With the benefit of hindsight, one can easily see that if all four dogs had been on leads, this accident would probably not have happened.' Harley's owners had filled in a form for Ms Worth saying that he would walk off the lead 'but may chase other wildlife' and this, said the judge, must include horses unless they had indicated it was used to horses. Judge Simpkiss found that it was foreseeable that if any of the dogs ran out of control near a horse, it might 'spook' the animal. He added that there was a significant risk of the horse responding in a way which might cause horse and rider to fall and for the rider to be seriously injured. Judge Simpkiss ruled that Ms Worth knew horses were ridden on the common and should have anticipated she might come into contact with a horse and rider while walking dogs, with an out-of-control dog causing a horse to respond violently by kicking, rearing or bolting. He found Ms Worth liable for the accident, and ruled that her breach of duty of care in failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the risk caused the accident. Ms Worth's solicitors had argued that Ms Smith was partly to blame for the accident, saying she had failed to control her horse, which was 'pawing' the ground and snorting. An allegation that she should not have been riding in an area where dogs walked – although she was on a bridlepath – was withdrawn. Judge Simpkiss found that Ms Smith was an experienced and highly competent rider, who was in control of the horse until she reared, and the allegation that she negligently fell off the horse could not be taken seriously. Mary Ann Charles, Ms Smith's solicitor of Shaw & Co, who is herself a rider and specialises in equestrian personal injury claims, said: 'It's not an accident that should have happened. There's a lack of understanding that this risk exists. 'The person on the horse usually understands but the person with the dog doesn't necessarily. They're concerned about the welfare of the dog, not really thinking about the welfare of the people they're encountering.' Following her accident, Ms Smith endured a painful road to recovery, but she remained determined throughout to fight compensation and for dog walkers to be made aware of their responsibility to remain in control of their animals at all times.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘I don't have a relationship with my face': Judi Dench models for a live sculpture
It began as a blob: a 12kg lump of clay the size of a watermelon. Three hours later, it had become Judi Dench's head, 50% larger than usual, twinkle-eyed even in terracotta. At Claridge's hotel in London on Monday evening, Frances Segelman hosted her latest ticking-clock sculpt: paying guests watch as she kneads a celebrity bust on stage, the subject sitting quietly beside her. In the past, Segelman has done Simon Rattle, Joan Collins, Joanna Lumley, Boris Johnson, Mr Motivator and major-league royals, almost always for charity. This was a fundraiser for lymphoedema research. Ticket sales raised over £20,000 and it's hoped that, when it's cast in bronze, the finished piece will fetch double that (St George's hospital Charity in Tooting, London, has begun accepting bids). The pair began a little before the audience arrived, sitting on a platform in the hotel's mirrored, slightly chilly art deco ballroom. Segelman, 76, glamorous in black lace gown despite mucky hands; Dench, 90, immaculate in cream coat with grey shawl and sausage-shaped water bottle. Another throw appeared courtesy of her daughter, Finty Williams. 'Oooh hello!' said Dench. 'I'm swathed in blankets, that's wonderful, thank you.' Beside her were a cappuccino, bouquet and numbered helium balloons in honour of last December's landmark birthday - in fact, she'll soon be nearer 91. The lump became flesh. Nostrils were poked out, Covid swab-style. Segelman measured Dench's skull using wooden tongs and metal callipers – half tailor, half surgeon. 'It's weird,' said Williams. 'At first, it didn't look like her. Then after 10 minutes I was like: 'Oh yes, that is Ma.'' It wasn't unnerving? 'I'm quite used to seeing her bigger than she normally is.' Then the binbags of sludge were removed and guests entered: around 200 supporters of the lymphoedema charity, which has been working with Dench's friend, photographer Gemma Levine. They first met in 1989, when Levine was dispatched to snap Dench at the National Theatre, who was playing Gertrude opposite Daniel Day-Lewis's Hamlet. 'We kept in touch,' says Levine. 'And once I had lymphoedema I kept asking Judi to do events and she never said no.' Levine studied under Henry Moore. His 'hard' art would have been a bad fit for her friend, she thinks. 'Judi's a great subject. She's a true professional and someone with great depth and sensibility and humour. I don't know anyone else like that – and I know a lot of film and theatre people.' An address about lymphoedema began the evening proper: its causes, symptoms, incidence and cost to the NHS of late diagnosis. It is, said Dr Peter Mortimer of St George's, a 'hidden epidemic' with 'little recognition'. He talked the audience through elephantiasis and how 'a big arm, following lymph gland removal after breast cancer surgery' can be fatal should the swelling spread to the central organs. Waiters offered fizz and nibbles. Segelman then spoke, asking the audience to mingle while she worked. ('Talk makes me quicker.') They duly milled, and debated in spitting distance of the artist how she was doing. 'It's like focus,' said one accountant. 'It goes in and out. It's out at the moment, but it'll go back in.' His favourite Dench role was M in Skyfall; informal canvassing of the crowd for her key performances saw a big win for the James Bond films, but also strong results for the sitcoms As Time Goes By and A Fine Romance, as well as the Iris Murdoch biopic (there were a lot of doctors in the room). One GP reported he'd seen almost all her Shakespeare productions and been in love with her for four decades, while the composer Karl Jenkins – whose music soundtracked some of the evening – remembered seeing Dench in Twelfth Night when he was a schoolboy. There was quiet as Simon Callow recited Christina Rossetti's A Birthday. Were Maggie Smith present, he said, 'she'd say how wonderful it's been today to watch Judi turn into a monument'. Williams read a self-penned poem to her mother, To the Moon and Back, which brought both women – and a few others – to tears. A soprano sang Happy Birthday. Cake came. As the evening wore on, Dench swapped her coffee for champagne. She did not speak publicly but, during a brief break, told the Guardian she was enjoying the experience, despite her macular degeneration now being so advanced she would be unable to assess the results. 'I can't see a thing,' she said. 'I can't really see your face and you're right in front of me.' She gestured round. 'I'm just in the play. I sit on the stage. It's very nice and Frances is brilliant, as is the charity. I just hear this sea of friendly people.' Her sense of her own features hasn't changed with age. 'I don't have a relationship with my face,' she said. 'Never have!' If she couldn't appreciate the finished bust visually, would she have a feel? An impish grin. 'If they let me.' And as Segelman fiddled with the chin and entered the final furlong, Dench did toy with a spare ball of terracotta. 'When she got hold of that clay,' said Segelman later, 'she was loving it. She could do something with it.' It's not just a passing interest, reports Williams. Her mother attends a weekly art class that includes pottery. Like Segelman, Dench prefers figurative work – just last week, says Williams, she shaped a little Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Finally the head was complete. Segelman would make some small tweaks in her studio the next day, she said, as an assistant spritzed it. 'But I'm not worried. It went well. I didn't meet Judi before I sculpted her. That's hard. But she was so sweet and kind and she never moved.' Segelman was surprised by her youthfulness. 'She has a cuteness. Pixie-like.' Williams concurred. 'I think Ma's got like quite an elvish little face and I think a lot of people want her to take up more space than she does. To give her a bigger, cookie cutter outline.' Her verdict was complimentary, especially the jawline. And what does she think her mother would make of it? 'She's a Quaker so she's not a big fan of looking at herself. And she wouldn't really be able to see it any more. But I think she'll love touching it.' As everyone headed out of the ballroom, two footmen edged gently by, bearing a huge metal box containing Dench's still-wet supersized head. Guests gulped and shrank back. The possibility of a slip was a sobering thought on the way to the exit.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Horsham mum calls for new young driver rules after son's death
A mother whose son died in a car crash just a month after passing his driving test has called for tighter rules for new Radford passed his test three months after his 17th birthday and died on 10 June last year, after losing control of his car and colliding with an oncoming mother Jane Radford now wants an extension to the learner driver period, a ban on new drivers aged 17-19 from carrying "peer-aged" passengers for six months and for motorway and rural road experience to be included in Department for Transport said it recognises the increased risks faced by young people on the roads but it is "not considering graduated" driving licences. Will was giving a friend a lift home from college when he lost control as he approached a right hand bend on the A281 Brighton Road, in Horsham. His car spun and crossed the carriageway before being hit by a vehicle travelling in the opposite was ejected from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries. He was airlifted to St George's Hospital, London, but died three days Radford, from Horsham, said passing his test just three months after his birthday "felt too fast". "He wasn't experienced in driving on rural roads" she said, "and he was carrying a passenger, chatting to his passenger, and I feel his death could have been prevented."Ms Radford said her son "was a lovely, big-hearted boy, he was kind and popular and intelligent".She added: "He was the kind of son you could be very proud of. He was also an organ donor and his organs went to four other people." Ms Radford said graduated driving licences would mean new, young drivers avoid distractions and the temptation to "show off".Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner, who is also the UK's most senior roads policing officer, supports graduated driving licences and is planning to meet with Ms Radford."I am determined that policing and our partners will do all we can to encourage safer behaviours among young and novice drivers," she by the AA estimates graduated driving licences could save 58 lives each year and avoid at least 260 serious a statement, the Department for Transport said: "Every death on the roads is a tragedy."We are determined to tackle this, including through our THINK! campaign, which has a focus on men aged 17-24 as they are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other drivers."Limitations on young new drivers carrying passengers in the first few months after they pass their test already exist in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
