Latest news with #StephenWright
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Louisiana State Police welcomes 46 new Troopers to the force
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — On Friday, the Louisiana State Police proudly welcomed 46 new troopers during an emotional graduation ceremony in Baton Rouge, marking the culmination of months of intense training and personal sacrifice. For Cadet Class 106, the journey to the badge was 24 weeks, filled with physical and mental challenges, long days, and a deep commitment to public service. 'Today's date marks the first time in over five years the Louisiana State Police proudly employs and serves over a thousand Troopers throughout Louisiana,' said Colonel Robert P. Hodges, Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, addressing the audience. Among the graduates was Class President Trooper Stephen Wright, who shared his personal story of perseverance. 'I originally applied for Cadet Class 105 and didn't make it—I think it was a timeline thing,' Wright said. 'But coming into 106, I think it was destiny.' Family and friends filled the auditorium with cheers and pride as the new Troopers marched across the stage, each receiving their golden boots—a symbol of the hard-earned title they now carry. For some, the moment carried deep generational meaning. John Sindt, a retired officer who served 54 years in Utah, watched his grandson graduate with pride. 'To watch him follow those steps—I was so proud and so lucky to be here,' Sindt said. That sense of tradition and family ran deep among the graduates. The Gremillion brothers spoke about the example set by their family. 'They've done so much for this state, and they're great Troopers,' said Trooper Paul Gremillion. 'I just want to be like them.' Hodges acknowledged the broader significance of this moment for the agency and the state, highlighting a renewed interest in public safety careers. 'In the last five years, many folks didn't want to be in public safety—and certainly not in law enforcement,' Hodges said. 'But now you see it's on the rise, and people are coming back to the ranks of law enforcement.' With badges on their chests and their training behind them, Cadet Class 106 will now begin field assignments across Louisiana—ready to serve, protect, and uphold the values of loyalty, duty, and honor. O'Leary bashes Trump's 'stupid' Harvard foreign student crackdown Louisiana State Police welcomes 46 new Troopers to the force 5 missing musicians found dead near Mexico-Texas border Ascension Parish welcomes dog lovers to Jambalaya Cluster Dog Show Las Vegas police look for 3 who 'may have' caused train derailment Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
'Beast of Birkenhead' Peter Sullivan in line for £1m compensation payout after spending 38 years in jail for murder he didn't commit in UK's longest miscarriage of justice
The victim of one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice walked free last night having spent 38 years in jail. Peter Sullivan, 68, is now in line for a £1 million payout after judges quashed his conviction for the murder of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall in 1986. Dubbed the Beast of Birkenhead after the brutal killing, Mr Sullivan had long protested his innocence. But yesterday he said he was 'not bitter' or 'angry', and will 'begin repairing what I made from the driftwood that is my life'. In a statement released through his solicitor Sarah Myatt moments after his conviction was thrown out at the Court of Appeal in London, he added: 'As God is my witness, it is said the truth shall set you free. It is unfortunate that it does not give a timescale.' It means Miss Sindall's killer may still be at large, after recent advances in DNA analysis suggested an unknown male was responsible for the sexually-motivated murder in Merseyside. The new suspect does not appear on the National DNA Database, nor is he linked to any other unsolved offences, bringing fresh anguish to the loved ones of Miss Sindall. Detectives with Merseyside Police have already begun a new investigation into the killing. Yesterday's extraordinary events follow a special investigation by Stephen Wright in The Mail on Sunday this year, which signalled judges were poised to order his release. Mr Sullivan, appearing via videolink from Wakefield Prison, initially showed little emotion when Lord Justice Holroyde announced yesterday's decision. The judge said: 'Strong though the circumstantial evidence undoubtedly seemed at the trial, it is now necessary to take into account the new scientific evidence pointing to someone else – the unknown man. 'If the new evidence had been available in 1986, the evidence as a whole would have been regarded as insufficient. In the light of that evidence it is impossible to regard the appellant's conviction as safe.' Mr Sullivan then appeared to wipe his eyes as though the enormity of the situation was finally dawning on him. Outside court, his sister Kim Smith, flanked by brothers Mark and David Sullivan, said the family would 'try to build a life around him again'. She also offered her sympathy to Miss Sindall's relatives, telling reporters: 'We lost Peter for 39 years... [he] hasn't won and neither has the Sindall family. They've lost their daughter, they are not going to get her back.' Mr Sullivan was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years in 1987, but has been denied parole multiple times, largely due to his refusal to admit responsibility for the killing. The Wirral pub where Miss Sindall worked at the time to help pay for her forthcoming wedding He applied to the High Court for permission to appeal against his conviction in 2019, but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2021. Then, in November last year, the Criminal Cases Review Commission said his case had been referred to the Court of Appeal on the basis of the DNA evidence. Samples taken at the time of the murder were re-examined and a DNA profile that did not match Mr Sullivan was found. This crucial evidence was revealed by a method that only came into use in 2015. Miss Sindall was brutally killed after she left work at a pub in Bebington, Birkenhead, just before midnight on Friday August 1, 1986. The bride-to-be, who was picking up barmaid shifts to earn extra money for her wedding, was walking to a garage to buy some fuel after her van broke down. Her lifeless and brutally abused body was discovered 12 hours later in an alley. At his trial, prosecutors said Mr Sullivan, a petty criminal and fantasist with limited intelligence, had spent the day drinking, and went out armed with a crowbar. Evidence at the time suggested he had recently borrowed a crowbar from a neighbour and was placed near the scene by witnesses. But he denied going anywhere near where the crime took place and having the crowbar in his possession, and said he had given different accounts to police because he could not remember his movements. He said he made confessions about being responsible because he had been assaulted and abused by police officers. Former labourer Mr Sullivan was driven from prison in a blacked-out van last night a free man. He is in line for compensation from the Ministry of Justice, capped at £1 million. Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit before his release in 2023, has said £1 million was 'not enough' to compensate such severe miscarriages of justice. The Ministry of Justice said: 'Peter Sullivan suffered a grave miscarriage of justice, and our thoughts are with him and the family of Diane Sindall. 'We will carefully consider this judgment, looking at how this could have happened and making sure both Mr Sullivan and Diane's family get the answers they deserve.'
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Baftas: Police drama Blue Lights wins best drama
BBC One police drama Blue Lights has won best drama category at the series follows a batch of newly-qualified officers navigating policing in a post-conflict Northern and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, its stars include Sian Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin and Nathan the award, Mr Lawn thanked the people of Belfast for letting the writers of the show tell their stories."Belfast, this one's for you," he said. Blue Lights won for its second series and beat BBC One's Sherwood, Netflix's Supacell and BBC One's Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The drama, which is currently filming its third series, follows police officers on patrol in various communities throughout Belfast, tackling paramilitaries, corruption, and legacy Stephen Wright said it was "just fantastic" as he and other cast members and writers stood on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday night."Thank you to everybody at the BBC who supported this show from day one," he said."I want to thank NI Screen who supported us at home and BBC studios for supporting us around the world."A personal thank you to my partners in crime - Louise Gallagher who had this idea, Amanda Black who produced this series, Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn," Mr Wright said. Mr Lawn paid tribute to the people of Belfast as he accepted the award."Thanks to our amazing cast and crew, both those here and those back in Belfast," he said."Thanks to Noel McCann and Bronagh Taggart, who wrote so beautifully on that season of television, and thanks also to this man [Adam Patterson] who directed it so well."We've been on quite a journey together, so this feels pretty extraordinary."And thank you finally, to the people of our home city, for letting us tell your stories."Belfast – this one's for you," he concluded. A BBC report said Blue Lights had generated an estimated £20m to the Northern Ireland economy through employment and spending in the supply chain across its first two series, made by Two Cities Television, employed an average of 59 cast of which 83% were either born in or a resident of Northern the crew of 246, more than 87% were from Northern Ireland.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 British shares these Fools like more than Greggs for the long term
A darling of the high street, Greggs (LSE:GRG) shares have rocketed since its 1984 IPO, soaring over 3,000%. There's been more turbulence over the past five years, with peaks and troughs in that time. Still popular among investors today, five of free-site writers have put forward alternative British-based stocks for investors to consider… What it Does: AG Barr is a drinks company. It's best known for Irn Bru, but has recently acquired Boost! product range. By Stephen Wright. The AG Barr (LSE:BAG) share price has been up and down recently. But when it's down – ideally somewhere near the 600p mark – I like it a lot better than I like Greggs shares. Put simply, I think I can see better growth prospects for the maker of Irn Bru than I can for the business that sells sausage rolls. The key is its recent acquisition of Boost Holdings. AG Barr has been working to integrate the business over the last couple of years. And I expect the expansion in margins that has already begun to carry on from here. With Greggs, I think the future is less clear. Recent growth has been largely driven by new store openings and I'm uncertain as to how long this can continue. Inflation is a risk for AG Barr – higher packaging costs creates a challenge for expanding margins. But from an investment perspective I prefer it to Greggs at the moment. Stephen Wright does not own shares in any company mentioned. What it does: Associated British Foods is a highly diversified group, with a range of food, ingredients and retail businesses. By Andrew Mackie. Greggs might have carved itself a unique position on the high street, but I much prefer FTSE 100 stalwart Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF). And believe it or not, it also has a bakery division, through its leading Kingsmill brand. The beauty about the company is its unique diversified business model. Most individuals associate it with just retail, through its ownership of Primark. But its way more than that. A motley collection of different businesses makes it extremely resilient during the course of the business cycle. At the moment, the high street is struggling. Primark isn't immune to that. Consumers are cautious with shrinking disposable incomes. But unlike one trick pony Greggs, revenues have been increasing in its ingredients segment, which include speciality enzymes used in manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. I accept that its share price has hardly been a star performer measured over years. But viewed over 20 plus years, it's been a multi-bagger. And that doesn't include the handsome dividends along the way. I have been a part owner for years, and will be for many more to come. Andrew Mackie owns shares in ABF. What it does: Barclays is a well-known Tier 1 bank, serving both private and corporate clients across the world. By James Beard. Although I'm a fan of Greggs, I believe the baker's scope for future growth is limited, primarily due to its 100% domestic focus. I prefer Barclays (LSE:BARC), which earns 48% of its revenue from outside the UK. Its global reach helped increase the group's 2024 post-tax earnings by 19.4%. I also think the global demand for banking services is likely to outstrip that for pies and sausage rolls. However, banking stocks can be volatile. And (unlike me) Barclays' directors seem to prefer share buybacks to dividends. Its sub-3% yield is a little disappointing. But the bank's targeting an increase in its return on capital from 10.5% (2024), to 12% (2026). Also, analysts are forecasting a 42% rise in earnings per share over the same period. With a forward price-to-earnings ratio of around six, the stock looks cheap to me. For these reasons, I'm happy to have Barclays in my portfolio. James Beard owns shares in Barclays. What it does: Coca Cola HBC is a bottling partner for Coca-Cola, producing and selling drinks across 28 markets in Europe, Africa, and Eurasia. By Ben McPoland. While Greggs has a strong brand and position in the UK, it only operates on these shores. Therefore, it's fully exposed to the UK economy, which is beset by low growth and high inflation. In contrast, Coca Cola HBC (LSE: CCH) from the FTSE 100 operates in various international countries, selling brands like Coca-Cola, Fanta, Schweppes, Sprite, and Monster. These markets include established ones like Greece, developing economies such as Poland, and emerging markets like Nigeria and Egypt. In my eyes then, the company has higher future growth potential than Greggs. In 2024, organic net sales rose 13.8% year on year to €10.7bn, while organic operating profit was up 12.2% to €1.2bn. The dividend was hiked 11% to €1.03 per share, with the well-covered forward yield sitting at 2.9%. A spike in inflation is a risk, as this could see people downtrading from branded drinks. A boycott of US brands from Muslim consumers in Egypt and Bosnia is also worth watching. Long term however, I think this reasonably-priced stock will continue to do well (it's up 35% in a year, as I type). Ben McPoland owns shares in Greggs and Coca Cola HBC. What it does: TP ICAP is a global interdealer broker that facilitates trades in financial, energy, and commodities markets. By Mark Hartley. TP ICAP (LSE: TCAP) acts as an intermediary between financial institutions, such as investment banks and hedge funds. It helps organisations execute transactions in products like bonds, derivatives, foreign exchange and commodities. It generates revenue primarily through commissions on trades, leveraging market volatility to its benefit. Consequently, revenue declines during periods of low trading volume, which can hurt the share price. It's also at the whim of increasingly strict financial regulations, which could lead to costly business adaptations and revenue loss. To meet this demand, it's recently expanded into electronic and data-driven services, making it better positioned to benefit from evolving financial markets. Financial services is the largest industry in London and one of the fastest growing in the UK. For TP ICAP, the results are already evident, with the share price up solidly44% in the past year. It also pays a handsome dividend with a yield of 5.7%. Mark David Hartley owns shares in TP ICAP. The post 5 British shares these Fools like more than Greggs for the long term appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool The Motley Fool UK has recommended Associated British Foods Plc, Barclays Plc, and Tp Icap Group Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wirral dentists 'may have to stop NHS treatment'
Dentists in Wirral have warned a funding crisis may force them to stop providing NHS treatment in the next year. The Chair of the Wirral Local Dental Committee, which represents NHS dentists in the borough, said practices do not receive enough money from the government to cover the cost of carrying out procedures. Stephen Wright said it was "unsustainable" and said the lack of funds could result in no NHS dental treatment being available. The Department of Health and Social Care said the government is committed to rebuilding NHS dentistry. Dentist practices are not owned or employed by the NHS. They are businesses which choose to enter into a contract with the NHS. Mr Wright said: "If you look at the British Dental Association figures to provide a set of dentures for a patient will on average lose a practice £40. "That's just unsustainable. To keep our small businesses going we have to have income, and if the income from the National Health Service isn't sufficient we have to subsidise that by accepting private patients." James Ashley, who runs a practice in Rock Ferry, said the profession also faced staffing problems . "The main other struggle we have is the lack of dentists out there in the first place," he said. "Young dentists we have recruited in recent years have gone abroad because the attraction of working abroad is much better for a lot of them than working in the NHS." A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said it was "reforming the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services and tackle regional disparities". The spokesman said there was also a "golden hello" scheme to recruit dentists to areas in need. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. Dentists warn of crisis amid NHS funding U-turn NHS 'recovery plan' fails to deliver new dentists or more appointments
