Latest news with #SueCook
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Bunnies hide under bed as unexpected owl visitor breaks into North Vancouver home
A North Vancouver couple were woken in the night by a surprise guest, after an owl flew in through their window, and made itself at home on their couch. It was a quick succession of emotions felt by one North Vancouver couple after a surprise visitor broke into their home in the dead of night this week. First fear, then concern, and finally, awe. Sue Cook and her husband were awoken at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday by the sound of a loud thud coming from their living room. Assuming it was one of their bunnies adventuring under the cover of night – one half of their duo is a 'little bit clumsy,' says Cook – she had initially dismissed the noise and drifted back off to sleep. ADVERTISEMENT 'The next thing, I heard all this banging and clattering with the blinds, which I knew wasn't (the rabbits) because of course they are too small,' she says. Cook inspected the living room to find a 'huge thing' flapping around, hitting the ceiling, and crashing into the blinds. 'It was like something out of a horror movie. This big flapping thing that was all dark … like something out of The Birds,' she says, referencing Alfred Hitchcock's '60s horror. It was only when the creature had flown into a nearby mirror, stunning itself in the process, that it slowed enough for the couple to realize what their uninvited guest was – a large owl. As the bird came to and began exploring the living room – returning to the blinds and tottering about on the floor behind a nearby sideboard – Cook and her husband decided to give it some space so it could, hopefully, find its way back out the open patio door. They returned to the bedroom, where their two free-roam bunnies were hiding under the bed, before peering back in 15 minutes later. 'It flew out, flew back into the mirror again and stunned itself,' says Cook. Despite the reflective hazard in the living room and the presence of two strangers, Cook says the owl showed no desire to leave and instead hopped around the condo, eventually landing on the arm of the sofa where it looked 'quite at home' sitting, and watching. 'It was looking around and looking at the back door, which it didn't seem bothered about flying out of,' she says. 'It looked quite happy sitting there just looking at us.' Eventually Cook's husband was able to usher the raptor out of the home where it sat on the railing of the balcony before ultimately flying off into the night, leaving the couple to reflect on their unusual encounter. Once the shock had subsided, wonder began to set in. 'People pay to look at these animals, and then we've just got one sat in our living room, it was unreal,' she says. The encounter, unique enough, was made even more surprising when they considered the small space, an open single patio door on a balcony sandwiched by two others, that the owl had managed to fly into. Its 'precision was brilliant,' she says. Cook suspects the owl must have located the prey within the apartment and made a beeline for what could have been a nice double-dinner. Her two pets are 'pretty good-looking rabbits,' laughs Cook. 'We were absolutely in awe of this amazing looking bird, it was just beautiful.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Crimewatch presenter Sue Cook: After losing my beloved mother, the courts made my life a living hell
Sue Cook's mother, Kathleen Thomas, died peacefully in April this year. She was 105, and believed that she had done everything she could to ensure the safe, easy transition of her and her late husband's estate to their children. 'Mum and Dad lived full lives and paid all their taxes,' says the former Crimewatch presenter from her house in Oxfordshire. 'They were proper middle-class people who believed in the system and trusted the state. She would have been shocked by what happened next.' Before her death, Cook's mother had lodged her will with His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). 'She thought that was a safe and sensible thing to do – although I would now warn others not to do the same,' says Cook. 'As the named executor, I submitted my application for the release of her will soon after she died. I assumed we'd get it back within four weeks, as that's what they promised on their website.' But by the time May turned into June, Cook and her brother Steve, who was co-executor, began to worry – they had had no contact with HMCTS, and had not even received a receipt of delivery. 'We began to think her will was lost, as they didn't even acknowledge our application,' says Cook. 'But as soon as I looked into it, I found myself trapped in a logistical nightmare. If you emailed, you got no reply. If you phoned, you got no answer, just a badly recorded piece of music.' Once, Cook waited 45 minutes only for the phone lines to close at 1pm rather than the 5pm stated on the website. 'Another time, I sat on the line for over an hour and a half, and when someone finally answered they said, 'Sorry, we haven't got access to the wills mailbox – your only recourse is the email address', which I knew from experience nobody answers.' By midsummer, Cook was beginning to lose patience and once again waited on the phone for hours; when eventually someone answered, they suggested she send all the information to a new email address, which she did – only to get no reply from that either. All the while, her parents' estate sat untouched, with the family unable to distribute money to grandchildren and other relatives. Cook's story, sadly, is far from unusual. Since the pandemic, the waiting times for probate in particular – which is also overseen by HMCTS – have ballooned. 'I'm 15 and a half years qualified,' says Amy Wallhead, a partner at Culver Law, who specialises in this field. 'When I first started doing this, you'd send documents to the probate registry and tell the client it would take a week to 10 days, but invariably you'd get it back in three or four days. Now, you can't even chase until 20 weeks have passed, and when you do, there is never anybody on the other side of the line to help – all they seem able to do is repeat, 'Computer says no.'' Culver believes that this mess is a result of an 'update' to the system that was completed in March this year. 'Covid, when everyone was working from home, created huge backlogs, but it was the new system that changed everything. They claimed they were streamlining it, but in the process they closed lots of probate registries, which has made everything much less efficient.' All the while, relatives are being forced to go into battle at a time when they are often at their most vulnerable. 'It can be very difficult,' says Sarah Coles, the head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown. 'Emotionally it's hard on recently bereaved people to not be able to put things to rest because there is no closure in sight on any of the admin. And in many cases you have to maintain a property you don't live in, all because of these unnecessary delays.' Cook echoes this sentiment. 'I think it has made the past few months harder,' she says. 'It was an added stress we didn't need. You have to arrange the funeral, you have to notify everyone and then decide on a date for a memorial service, and so much more – not to mention getting to grips with your own grief. Dealing with what I could only visualise as an empty office that was holding our mother's will captive wasn't helpful.' Cook adds that even if the delay was inevitable, a bit of sympathy from the few people she managed to get hold of would have gone a long way. 'A nice email or a few understanding words would have made a huge difference, but nobody was helpful and nobody showed any kindness.' And still, she was arguably one of the lucky ones. Cook's mother had moved into a care home a few years before her death, and her property was sold during that time, while Cook and her brothers were also able to pay the inheritance tax they owed out of their own pockets. But for many people, delays like these can cost huge sums of money, as houses need to be sold quickly before late fines for inheritance tax start accruing at six months. 'When people go into the process, they assume it will be quick, so they put properties on the market, but then delays mean sales fall through – and then if the house or flat has been around [for sale] for a while, it becomes less likely to sell well,' says Coles. 'It can cause serious long-term financial problems for anyone whose inheritance is tied up in property. At least you can sell a share portfolio the day that probate comes through, whereas a property can take six months or more.' Similarly, anyone with a relative whose will has been held hostage by HMCTS will be liable for inheritance tax after six months – even if they didn't officially know that an estate had been left to them. 'Interest starts to run on IHT after six months, regardless of the circumstances,' says Wallhead. 'HMRC is totally separate from HMCTS.' Cook, realising there was no other avenue to pursue, eventually decided to use her journalistic credentials and phoned the department's press office to tell them she was planning on writing an article about the delay in the national press. The two events may well not be connected, but soon after that, the will plopped through her letterbox. According to posts online, other people in similar situations have resorted to calling their MPs. 'Human error' After being contacted by The Telegraph, HMCTS looked into Cook's case and found that it had received the request for withdrawal on May 5 and that it was ordered from storage the following week. On July 1, a Crown Court usher called the storage team to chase up the withdrawal and was told it had been dispatched on May 27. A search was carried out by the same team, who then realised that the will had been mistakenly filed away rather than posted to Cook. This means, in total, the will retrieval took 11 weeks rather than the four stated online. A spokesman for HMCTS says: 'The delay was a result of a human error and we apologise for the distress and frustration this has caused. Most requests for withdrawals of wills are processed within four weeks and we have taken action to ensure this does not happen again.' In response, Cook says: 'It's not only the mistakes, which, in a way, we could accept. It is more that they didn't respond to about eight emails and never gave us an explanation or apology.' Mostly, she is relieved to have the will in her possession – but that doesn't stop her from being daunted by the prospect of probate. 'Guess who deals with that? HMCTS,' she says. 'Grief, I have realised, is made infinitely worse when you feel powerless; when a system that's supposed to serve the public won't even respond to you. I'm not asking for a shortcut or special treatment; I'm asking for straightforward honesty, transparency and human decency. But I haven't seen a shred of it yet.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Wimbledon Killer: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Sue Cook contributes to a two-parter exploring flaws in the search for Rachel Nickell's killer 2025
Scottish Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
BBC Crimewatch presenter's heartbreak as mum dies aged 105
The hit series was wrapped in 2017 after falling viewer numbers Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CRIMEWATCH presenter has revealed the heartbreaking passing of her "amazing" 105-year-old mother. The BBC anchor, 76, took to her page on X to post an image of two glasses of pink fizz as she raised a toast to her late parent. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 A Crimewatch presenter has revealed her heartbreak after her 105-year-old mum's death Credit: BBC 5 She posted an image showing her toast to her life with pink fizz Credit: X 5 Sue Cook paid tribute to her 'amazing' parent Credit: Sue Cook Facebook Sue Cook, who fronted the factual crime show for 11 years, captured the tribute and added the words: "Dedicating today to memories of my amazing mother who died last night at the age of 105 and a half. "Cheers and RIP dearest Mum." In reply to one fan, she added: "Her time had certainly come, but a lot to process all the same." Sue, who started her Crimewatch career in 1984, was supported by her online followers, with one posting: "So sorry. 105 is just amazing and so many memories to celebrate." Another added: "Sorry for your loss, but here's to Mum." A third posted: "A great age, what a life. You must have some incredible memories of her." One then commented: "Condolences, respect to her long life!" Sue previously fronted Crimewatch with Nick Ross. Yet the show was axed in 2017 after 33 years on air. BBC bosses pulled the plug on the show as the ratings slumped, despite a revamp with Jeremy Vine as host. Chilling tale of mum murdered by 'Overalls Man'...before odd Crimewatch twist A source said: 'Everyone is really shocked.' Falling ratings are thought to be behind the BBC's decision to axe Crimewatch. Bosses told at the the time how they wanted to spend more on dramas. Police forces previously used the show, and its crime reconstructions, to solve many cases. In 1993 CCTV footage of James Bulger's killers leading the lad, two, away saw Jon Venables and Robert Thompson identified. And a 1997 appeal on the murders of Lin and Megan Russell snared the killer Michael Stone. A source said: 'Everyone is really shocked. It is a massive public service programme.' Yet recently, Sue admitted she had become "disillusioned" with the broadcaster amid the coronavirus pandemic. She told how she had stopped listening to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme after 20 years. She fumed back in 2020: 'I don't know what's happened to the BBC. "I now listen to Talk Radio because I get my concerns addressed. "It was such a privilege to work for the BBC when I first started out in the 1970s. "I was just knocked out by how wonderful it was working for the BBC. "I've been so loyal to them for years and years but the last couple of months has really disillusioned me terribly." 5 Sue kicked off Crimewatch back in 1984 Credit: YouTube
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
BBC Crimewatch presenter's heartbreak as mum dies aged 105
A CRIMEWATCH presenter has revealed the heartbreaking passing of her "amazing" 105-year-old mother. The BBC anchor, 76, took to her page on X to post an image of two glasses of pink fizz as she raised a toast to her late parent. 5 5 5 Sue Cook, who fronted the factual crime show for 11 years, captured the tribute and added the words: "Dedicating today to memories of my amazing mother who died last night at the age of 105 and a half. "Cheers and RIP dearest Mum." In reply to one fan, she added: "Her time had certainly come, but a lot to process all the same." Sue, who started her Crimewatch career in 1984, was supported by her online followers, with one posting: "So sorry. 105 is just amazing and so many memories to celebrate." Another added: "Sorry for your loss, but here's to Mum." A third posted: "A great age, what a life. You must have some incredible memories of her." Sue previously fronted Crimewatch with Nick Ross. Yet the show was axed in 2017 after 33 years on air. BBC bosses pulled the plug on the show as the ratings slumped, despite a revamp with Jeremy Vine as host. A source said: 'Everyone is really shocked.' Falling ratings are thought to be behind the BBC's decision to axe Crimewatch. Bosses told at the the time how they wanted to spend more on dramas. Police forces previously used the show, and its crime reconstructions, to solve many cases. In 1993 CCTV footage of James Bulger's killers leading the lad, two, away saw Jon Venables and Robert Thompson identified. And a 1997 appeal on the murders of Lin and Megan Russell snared the killer Michael Stone. A source said: 'Everyone is really shocked. It is a massive public service programme.' Yet recently, Sue admitted she had become "disillusioned" with the broadcaster amid the coronavirus pandemic. She told how she had stopped listening to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme after 20 years. She fumed back in 2020: 'I don't know what's happened to the BBC. "I now listen to Talk Radio because I get my concerns addressed. "It was such a privilege to work for the BBC when I first started out in the 1970s. "I was just knocked out by how wonderful it was working for the BBC. "I've been so loyal to them for years and years but the last couple of months has really disillusioned me terribly." 5 5
