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Belfast Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Lanes reopen after two cars overturn on M1 rush-hour crash
However, traffic is still being impacted by delays linked to the earlier disruption. The collision happened around 6:50am as two cars overturned on the road close to the Applegreen service station. Both Belfast-bound lanes were closed for a short time with traffic heading to the Balmoral show also being affected. Tailbacks following multi-car collision outside Lisburn The Belfast Telegraph understands that the tailback at one stage was around six miles long, spanning to the outskirts of Moira. Roads in and around Lisburn have also been affected as motorists seek an alternative route. A police spokesperson said: 'One Belfast-bound lane of the M1 has re-opened following an earlier collision. 'Tailbacks and delays should be expected in the area.' In a post, TrafficWatch NI wrote: 'M1 East bound: Update - Both lanes have now reopened following an earlier road traffic collision. However, expect knock on delays.'
Belfast Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Six-mile tailback as two cars overturn in rush-hour crash on M1
LATEST | Emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious multi-vehicle crash on the M1 outside Lisburn. The collision happened around 6:50am as two cars overturned on the road close to the Applegreen service station. Both Belfast-bound lanes were closed for a short time with traffic heading to the Balmoral show also being affected. The two lanes remain closed, while police have opened the hard shoulder to traffic to clear some of the extensive backlog. Tailbacks following multi-car collision outside Lisburn The Belfast Telegraph understands that the tailback is around six miles long, spanning to the outskirts of Moira. Roads in and around Lisburn have also been affected as motorists seek an alternative route. In a statement a police spokesperson said: 'One Belfast-bound lane of the M1 has re-opened following an earlier collision. 'Tailbacks and delays should be expected in the area.'
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Daily Mail
'Much-loved' mother-of-two killed in single-vehicle crash: Family grieving double tragedy as she and her father die days apart
A 'very much-loved' mother-of-two has passed away after a tragic road accident in Northern Ireland, as loved ones share heartbreaking tributes at the 'tremendous loss'. Shelly Feeney, who was in her 30s, was driving in Ballymooney last Monday morning when she was involved in a single-vehicle collision where a child also received minor injuries. The north Antrim local was then airlifted to hospital where she spent the next five days 'bravely fighting for her life' in intensive care but died on Saturday. Her death comes only a few days after her father, who passed away suddenly on Tuesday it was reported - 24 hours after his daughter's crash. Bushvalley Primary School, where she worked as a 'highly esteemed and valued classroom assistant', have shared their 'sincere sympathies' to her family at the 'deep sadness' of her passing. They added that 'our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family circle at this very difficult time'. Heartbroken parents and colleagues rushed to share their condolences on the 'devastating news'. Cassie Hunter said 'it was an absolute pleasure working with Shelley. She had a heart of gold' while Clare Steele added 'sending sincere sympathies to her children, partner and extended family. Thinking of you all at Bushvalley where her passing will be felt by children and colleagues. What a tremendous loss'. Rachel Longwell wrote 'so sorry to hear this awful news. Thinking of Shelley's family, friends and everyone at Bushvalley during this difficult time' alongside Trace Mac's comment that 'this is such sad news and there will be a lot of very sad little ones given the impact she made on them. Thoughts are with her family at this time'. A reverend has also raised more than £22,000 on GoFundMe, set up to support the family during the 'incredibly difficult and worrying time for everyone who knows and loves Shelly'. Rev Andre Alves-Areias - who is the minister at the Church she will be buried at - said she was a 'dear friend' and hoped the money raised last week would support Ms Feeney's partner Stephen at the 'critical time'. He told The Belfast Telegraph that his 'heart goes out to Stephen and the children, and to Bobby (her brother) and the wider of course to her friends and colleagues.' 'I was touched to see the community come together last week and I know they'll continue to come together for the family over the days, weeks, months and years that come,' he added. Rev Andre Alves-Areias said he led a prayer for her family last week and was touched by how 'almost every seat was taken'. 'The community are really feeling the weight of what has happened, but are rallying round in an amazing way to help support the family.' Written before she passed away, the GoFundMe stated: 'At this critical time Stephen needs to be with her as much as he can. 'However, being constantly present at the hospital often involves significant unexpected costs – things like travel back and forth, parking, meals, and time off work. 'The last thing Stephen should have to worry about right now is the financial strain of being there for Shelly.' The TUV leader Jim Allister MP said 'every death is keenly felt by the loved ones impacted. However, when the passing is so sudden and the result of a tragic accident it is felt all the more keenly'. He added: 'I know there will be people over a wide area who will be upholding them in prayer at this time.' The party's vice chairman Councillor Allister Kyle also said they were 'deeply saddened to learn of the death of Shelly Feeney following a tragic accident last week' and shared that they knew Stephen 'well' thanks to his involvement with Coleraine Football Club. 'The esteem in which the family is held is demonstrated by the fact that a Go Fund Me set up in the wake of the accident has already raised in excess of £20,000,' he added. Ms Feeney's funeral is set to take place on Wednesday morning and her family has asked for well-wishers to give donations to Air Ambulance N.I. instead of flowers.
Sunday World
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Sunday World
‘Much loved' mother-of-two (30s) dies five days after tragic road accident
Shelley Feeney, aged in her 30s, died on Saturday (April 19) as a result of the single-vehicle collision, which happened last Monday morning A young mother-of-two from north Antrim has passed away less than a week after a tragic road accident. Shelley Feeney, aged in her 30s, died on Saturday (April 19) as a result of the single-vehicle collision, which happened last Monday morning. Emergency services attended the scene in the Knockmore Road area of Ballymoney shortly after 10.30am and rushed the casualty to hospital, where she remained in the intensive care unit until her death. A PSNI spokesperson said a child also sustained minor injuries in the crash. Ms Feeney's father died the day after her crash. A death notice states that he died suddenly at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Ms Feeney's funeral will take place at Mosside Presbyterian Church with a Service of Thanksgiving at 11am on Wednesday. The church has also to date raised over £21,000 with an online fundraiser that Rev Andre Alves-Areias started for the Feeney family. Ms Feeney has been descried as the 'dearly loved partner of Stephen, much loved mother of Jake and Sophie, beloved daughter of the late James and June, dear granddaughter of Elsie and Mary Jane, much loved sister of Bobby and a dear sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, niece, aunt, cousin and friend'. The notice said her family would like to invite those attending the service to wear bright colours. Speaking to The Belfast Telegraph on Monday, Rev Andre Alves-Areias said: "My heart goes out to Stephen and the children, and to Bobby (her brother) and the wider of course to her friends and colleagues." "I was touched to see the community come together last week and I know they'll continue to come together for the family over the days, weeks, months and years that come." "The thing that keeps me going in times like this is the hope of the Easter story that we've just remembered. "The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the one thing I can hold onto, because it reminds me that if Jesus rose from the dead, and he promises that those who believe will follow him, then I'm going to cling to that promise with everything I've got. "So my prayer is that the family, friends and loved ones of Shelley will do the same and commit their fears, their grief, their hurt and their whole lives into Jesus' loving care - not just to get them through this difficult time, but to get them through every difficult time that comes after."
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Yahoo
Elisabeth Fritzl Was Lured into a Basement By Her Dad and Trapped for 24 Years. Inside the Horrifying Case That Inspired 'Room' — and How She Pulled Off Her Escape
Elisabeth Fritzl was held captive in a basement and sexually abused by her father, Josef Fritzl, for 24 years — and had seven of his children. Years before the abduction, Josef remodeled the basement of their family house in Austria, where he eventually lured and imprisoned Elisabeth. When she disappeared, he claimed that she ran away from home, convincing even his wife, Elisabeth's mother Rosemarie, that she left willingly to join a cult. Josef and Rosemarie raised three of Elisabeth's children, who Josef pretended Elisabeth left on their doorstep, while Elisabeth was forced to raise three of her children in a locked underground compound without windows. She and seven of her children survived 8,516 days in captivity, according to The Belfast Telegraph, with some never seeing sunlight until they were adults. The case and its media attention were part of the inspiration for the 2010 novel Room and the film of the same name released five years later. Since escaping, Elisabeth has kept a deliberately low profile. Here's everything to know about where Elisabeth Fritzl and her children are now. Elisabeth was born on April 6, 1966, and raised in her family's home in Amstetten, Austria. When she was 11 years old, Josef started sexually abusing her, according to The Guardian. Josef began drawing up plans to build his extended cellar around 1981 or 1982. He equipped the space with electricity, made it soundproof and installed a toilet, sink, stove and refrigerator, as well as a bed. In 1984, he asked a then-18-year-old Elisabeth to help him hang the final door in the cellar, Sky News reported. During the process, Josef held an ether-soaked cloth to her face until she was unconscious and then moved her into the cellar, where she'd be trapped for 24 years. Josef physically, mentally and sexually abused Elisabeth almost daily starting on the second day of her captivity. He told everyone that she had run away to join a cult and forced her write letters to support his story. Elisabeth was alone, save for Josef's abuse, for the first five years of captivity, per The Guardian. During her 24 years of imprisonment, Elisabeth gave birth to seven of her father's children. Josef took three of the kids (Lisa, Monika and Alexander) to live with him and Rosemarie, staging three incidents in which a baby would be left on their doorstep with notes from Elisabeth asking for Josef and Rosemarie to care for them. Meanwhile, three other children (Kerstin, Stefan and Felix) remained locked in the cellar with Elisabeth. A twin boy named Michael died days after birth and Josef later admitted to incinerating the corpse. Josef Fritzl had seven children with his daughter, Elisabeth. His crimes may not have been limited to his sexual, physical and mental abuse of Elisabeth though. According to The Telegraph, he raped a 24-year-old woman at knifepoint in 1967 and was a suspect in the attempted sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman. He served one year of an 18-month sentence for the 1967 rape, with the crime getting expunged from his criminal record 15 years later. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Josef was also a suspect in four murders and several missing persons cases dating back nearly 50 years, including the sexual assault and murder of a 17-year-old girl who resembled Elisabeth. Josef specifically designed the basement to make it nearly impossible for Elisabeth to escape from it or for anyone nearby to hear her if she screamed for help. He came up with a makeshift security system and ensured the cellar was soundproof. "I brought in a heavy door of steel and concrete and equipped it with a remote-controlled electrical motor, which would open it only after a numeric code was entered," he told Austrian prosecutors (via The Guardian). Sky News reported that Josef told Elisabeth and their children that if they tried to escape, they'd be electrocuted or that poison would be released into the cellar, killing them. Josef claimed that he initially locked Elisabeth in the cellar because she was smoking, drinking and not adhering to his and Rosemarie's household rules. But the longer Elisabeth was locked away, the more difficult it became for him to consider letting her out. "With every passing week in which I kept my daughter captive my situation was getting crazier," he said. "I was afraid of being arrested and of having my family and everyone out there find out about my crime — and so I postponed my decision again and again. Until one day it was really too late to free Elisabeth and take her upstairs." According to Josef, his sexual abuse of Elisabeth began when she was in the basement after his feelings intensified over time. "I knew that I was hurting her. But the urge to finally be able to taste the forbidden fruit was too strong. It was like an addiction," he told officials. Rosemarie reportedly didn't know Elisabeth was locked in the cellar, and neither did anyone else. "The cellar of my house belonged to me and to me alone, it was my kingdom to which only I had access to," Josef told Austrian prosecutors, per The Guardian. He continued, "Everyone who lived there knew that. My wife, my children, my lodgers. And no one would have dared to enter my realm or even to ask me what I was doing there." Authorities told The Sydney Morning Herald that they believed Rosemarie was oblivious to Josef's crimes against Elisabeth and the children, but that she did know about his 1967 rape conviction and took him back after he was released from prison. Josef was reportedly also physically abusive to Rosemarie and to their son, Harald. During his conversation with Austrian prosecutors, Josef noted that in case of his death, he had a timer set so that if he ever didn't unlock and enter the cellar for a certain length of time, it would unlock and she could be free. But there was an unexpected turn of events when Elisabeth's daughter, Kerstin, then 19, became ill. On April 19, 2008, Elisabeth convinced Josef to bring Kerstin to a hospital for medical treatment. Once there, Josef gave Kerstin's care team a note to demonstrate that Elisabeth was Kerstin's mother who was away in a cult. Doctors made a televised appeal to Kerstin's missing mother to come forward and provide information about Kerstin's medical history, The New York Times reported. Elisabeth, who had a television in the cellar, saw the TV report and convinced Josef to release her and the two other children, sons Felix and Stefan, who were still imprisoned in the cellar with her. On April 26, 2008, Elisabeth visited Kerstin at the hospital with Josef after she was freed, at which point Josef was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse. Police questioned Elisabeth about what she endured, but she wouldn't cooperate unless they promised her that she'd never have to see her father again. Josef was charged with coercion, deprivation of liberty, incest, rape and enslavement of Elisabeth, as well as the murder of newborn Michael by negligence for not getting him medical attention, the BBC reported. He initially pleaded guilty to all charges except enslavement and murder but after a few days of his criminal trial, pleaded guilty to all charges. The New York Times reported that Michael's negligent death carried the highest sentence and prosecutors demanded the maximum time for Josef. On March 19, 2009, a then-73-year-old Josef was sentenced to life in prison. Elisabeth changed her name after her father's trial, The Mirror reported in January 2024. Austrian law prevents news outlets from revealing her identity. She lives in a rural Austrian town known only to the public as "Village X" with her six surviving children and her partner, Thomas Wagner, a bodyguard who was hired to protect the family. A member of her care team told the outlet that she continues to work toward moving past her trauma and have some semblance of normalcy. "With the approval of her doctors she has ceased psychiatric therapies while she gets on with her life — learning to drive, helping her children with their homework, making friends with people in her locality," they said. "She lost the best years of her life in that cellar; she is determined that every day remaining to her will be filled with activity." Elisabeth was forced to give birth to seven children in the cellar without medical help, which included Kerstin, Stefan, Felix, Lisa, Monika, Alexander and the late Michael. Elisabeth's six surviving children were reunited after Josef's crimes were discovered but it took time to adjust. The Independent reported that the kids (Lisa, Monika, Alexander) who grew up with Josef and Rosemarie felt guilt for living relatively normal lives, while the other three (Kerstin, Stefan, Felix) struggled to bond as they learned about the outside world for the first time. Eight years later, Kerstin was in a serious relationship and Stefan reportedly had ambitions to be a merchant ship captain, per The Belfast Telegraph. Felix was also a relatively well-adjusted child who enjoyed PlayStation games and attended school. Elisabeth's children are now adults, ranging in age from 21 to 36, and live with her in a remote Austrian village. One local told The Mirror, "Given what they have been through, they are very polite, happy and smile a lot." In a May 2023 interview, Josef told The Sun that he expressed different hopes, including wanting to reunite with his family and reconcile with his ex-wife, Rosemarie, who divorced him in 2012. "I do understand people who want me to die in jail. But I want to experience freedom one day. I've never been afraid of dying," he said. A year later, in May 2024, Josef was approved for a transfer from a psychiatric prison to a regular prison, Reuters reported. In a statement from the court, it was declared that Josef no longer posed a threat that required him to be in the "forensic therapeutic centre," citing his dementia diagnosis and physical frailty. In the Austrian correctional system, transfers like these are typical before prisoners are granted conditional release, which Josef's attorney said she'd seek for him. However, the court also noted that it's unlikely he'd ever be released from prison because of "special preventive reasons." If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Read the original article on People
