Latest news with #infatuation
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
ChatGPT couldn't answer my questions about tennis, so it made things up
It's time to talk about my relationship with Sage. The infatuation was real, and I was not alone. Sage had seduced many men and women across the world with the promise of easy virtue and a beguiling future. But the attractions were a cover for terrible flaws, starting with arrogance — Sage has a higher self-opinion than a sultan.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
This young British novelist is succeeding where others fail
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies, the debut novel by the promising 25-year-old British novelist Harriet Armstrong, ostensibly tells a straightforward and rather uneventful tale. Its unnamed narrator is a psychology student in the final year of her degree at an unspecified campus university in the early 2020s. She attends lectures, grappling with the ideas she encounters therein. She thinks about books she has read, exhibitions she has seen, film and TV shows she has watched. She spends time with a few close friends. Increasingly, however, her attentions are preoccupied by one person in particular: Luke, a postgraduate student in computer science, who lives in the room next to hers. Their friendship blossoms after Luke's girlfriend breaks up with him. And although it's pretty clear to the reader that he has 'friend-zoned' the narrator, she – not especially practiced when it comes to matters of the heart, and at this point still a virgin – is completely infatuated. Armstrong's narrator worries about the fact that nothing of substance has ever happened to her. 'Somehow through existing I repelled action,' she thinks. But she's not so much eagerly waiting for action – which would merely be in line with that traditional trope of the in-between-ness of one's student years, caught between childhood and adolescence, waiting for life proper to start – as waiting for very specific ontological revelations: I did very badly want to know what things fundamentally meant. I still felt that everything around me had some hidden core, I felt that the most important and central meanings were concealed and had to be effortfully unearthed. I really couldn't wait for all those meanings to be revealed to me. And Luke bursts into her life as if he had been fashioned exactly for her – 'acting like the model of an approachable, delightful person… like an actor placed inside my kitchen to delight me'. A certain dispassionate, matter-of-fact prose style has become characteristic of too much contemporary fiction: my heart now reflexively sinks when I encounter it. In such novels, the narrators observe their own lives with the practiced, measured eye of anthropologists. Often they are, as Armstrong's narrator calls them, 'vaguely disembodied cerebral girls'. (This is tongue-in-cheek on Armstrong's part: they're not just the kind of books the narrator likes to read, they're the kind she thinks she would write if she ever wrote one herself.) Seemingly unable to experience a given moment, instead they're trapped in a Mobius strip-like loop of endless real-time analysis. It can make for laborious reading. To Rest Our Minds and Bodies is one of the purest examples of this style that I've encountered yet, so my hackles were initially raised. But I soon found myself proved wrong. So much writing in this vein falls foul of its own aloofness, but the success of Armstrong's work lies in how she conveys all the intensities of her narrator's experiences – from the intellectual, through the emotional, to every part of her embodied life (pain, pleasure, disgust) – through prose that's consistently reserved to the point of incredible clarity. It's rare to encounter so purely candid and redolent a portrait of a life. Instead of fatigue, the novel inspires something closer to exaltation, proving that the accolades that preceded it – Armstrong's publication of a handful of well-received short stories, and her 2024 residency at the Giancarlo DiTrapano Foundation for Literature and the Arts – did indeed herald genuine talent. About halfway through the novel, the narrator writes a short story about her recent attempt to lose her virginity. Another girl in her writers' group disparages the 'faux naïveté' of the work's tone, a criticism that leaves the poor narrator bemused. 'I hadn't made any kind of choice in describing it like that,' she thinks to herself. She'd merely been rendering her experience as realistically as she could. One has the sense that Armstrong might use the same defence for this novel. To Rest Our Minds and Bodies is a fraught chamber piece of emotional intensity: an age-old story – of the highs and lows of first love, and of a young person finding their place in the world – told in a way that feels unsettling, exciting and very fresh.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Female prison officer tried to smuggle syringe into jail in bid to 'artificially inseminate' herself with rapist inmates baby, court told
A female prison officer tried to smuggle a syringe into jail in a bid to artificially inseminate herself with an 'exceptionally dangerous' rapist inmate's baby, a court has been told. Cherri-Ann Austin-Saddington, 29, became besotted with sex offender Bradley Trengrove after he was moved to HMP The Verne in Portland, Dorset. The pair embarked on a six month relationship which involved them often having sex in prison workshops while nobody was around, Bournemouth Crown Court heard. The lag claimed they had unprotected sex 30-40 times and the court was told she even got pregnant by him - although she later lost the baby. Austin-Saddington was so infatuated with Trengrove, 31, that she went along with a bizarre plan to get pregnant by him again. During a visit after he had been moved to another prison she smuggled in an empty Calpol syringe in her bra so she could 'artificially inseminate' herself with his sperm he had wrapped in cling film for her, the court was told. Austin-Sadddington sent Trengrove intimate photos while he was at Channings Wood, but these were intercepted by staff. On May 26 she visited him under a false name. During a pat down search officers found she was not wearing any underwear and had the empty syringe in her bra and she was arrested. During the affair, Austin-Saddington smuggled a mobile phone into the Category C prison for her lover so they could communicate. The mother-of-three saved his name in her mobile under 'husband to be', a court heard. Austin-Saddington, from Weymouth, was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office only because she has been left wheelchair-bound having suffered a fall following her crimes. Trengrove, from Cramborne, Cornwall, was already serving a 13 year extended jail sentence for raping a woman and having sexual activity with a child in 2013 and 2014. He was given another two years and three months to serve on top of his original sentence for his part in the sordid affair. Bournemouth Crown Court heard Austin-Saddington started working as a prison officer at The Verne in July 2019. She was given a written warning in 2020 for concerns over her professionalism and interaction with prisoners. Her probationary period was extended because she was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with two prisoners. In January 2022, Trengrove was transferred to the same jail where Gary Glitter served his sentence. Austin-Saddington began a relationship with Trengrove in around August 2022 with him telling police they had sex 30-40 times in a workshop at the prison. Robert Bryan, prosecuting, read out some gushing messages the prison officer sent Trengrove, stating he was 'the one', that she would love him 'til my last breath' and he was her 'reason for living'. Mr Bryan said: 'He said things moved on from being friendly in August-September 2022. He said 'I did maintenance work around the prison, there were lots of workshops, we would meet down at the workshops where less people were around. 'It got to the point she was coming in for work on days off and we would work together for three or four hours at a time.' 'He said they had unprotected sex 30-40 times. She told him in November she was pregnant with his baby. He encouraged her to be less risky but she said that would mean less opportunity to meet. 'She lost the baby at about eight weeks.' Trengrove was moved to HMP Channings Wood in Devon in March 2023. Emily Cook, defending Austin-Saddington, argued that her client should not be jailed due to her ill-health. She said: 'She had this incredibly devastating physical event that has occurred since her offending. 'In February 2024, her then partner awoke to find her on the floor. She doesn't know how but something was going on with her spine. 'She is wheelchair-dependent. She has had her liberty curtailed for many months, not by the court but by her ill health. 'You can see from the messaging, they formed a very intense and infatuated relationship. She takes full responsibility for what she did. She is very ashamed and upset. 'You are not sentencing the woman who committed these offences, she's a very different woman now.' Nick Robinson, defending Trengrove, said it was a 'genuine infatuation' and he was not corrupting her. He said: 'Everything was driven towards having conversation with someone he genuinely cared about. 'Before this he was a good prisoner, working hard towards the earliest possible release. 'He knew what he was doing, his heart ruled his head.' Judge Jonathan Fuller KC told Austin-Saddington: 'The prison service expects the highest standards from their employees. 'Failure to apply those standards can have an enormous and lasting impact on the prisons, the care of inmates, the integrity which is to be maintained and, of course, public confidence. 'Your betrayal of that trust represents a serious and prolonged misconduct by someone in public office. 'I am mindful of your current physical state and pending rehabilitation. For that reason only I reduce the sentence in order to suspend it. 'Had it not been for the accident that befell Miss Austin-Saddington the sentence would have been an immediate sentence of imprisonment.' He added: 'The intensity of their feelings towards each other, as shown in the messages, could perhaps be described as mutual obsession with each other. The expressed intention was that they should spend the rest of their lives together. 'This was a relationship of equal halves, both making the wrong decision.' Austin-Saddington admitted misconduct in a public office and conveying a mobile phone into a prison. She was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months with 25 rehabilitation activity days. Trengrove admitted encouraging or assisting her in the misconduct, having a mobile phone inside prison and using it for 'unauthorised transmission of images or sound'. After the case, Detective Inspector Alastair Quinn, of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), said: 'We are committed to working with our region's prisons to root out corruption and will be looking to take similar action against other prisoners who seek to corrupt prison staff. 'Clearly, by entering into a relationship with a prisoner, Austin-Saddington was herself also committing a serious offence and undermining the already challenging work her former colleagues do.'
The Sun
14-05-2025
- The Sun
Prison officer smuggled Calpol syringe into jail to artificially inseminate herself with ‘dangerous' lag's sperm
A BESOTTED prison officer smuggled a Calpol syringe into jail to "artificially inseminate" herself with a lag's sperm. Cherri-Ann Austin-Saddington, 29, became infatuated with "exceptionally dangerous" sex offender Bradley Trengrove after he was moved to HMP The Verne on Portland, Dorset. 6 6 The pair embarked on a six month relationship where they often had sex in prison workshops while nobody was around. Austin-Saddington and Trengrove had sex up to 40 times while she was duty. She became pregnant with his baby, but suffered a miscarriage. When Trengrove, 31, was moved to another prison she visited him using a fake name. She then hatched a plan to get pregnant again by smuggling a Calpol syringe in her bra so she could "artificially inseminate" herself with his sperm he had wrapped in cling film for her. Austin-Saddington, from Weymouth, was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct in a public office. Trengrove, from Cramborne, Cornwall, was already serving a 13 year extended jail sentence for raping a woman and having sexual activity with a child in 2013 and 2014. Trengrove was given another two years and three months to serve on top of his original sentence for his part in the sordid affair. Bournemouth Crown Court heard Austin-Saddington started working as a prison officer at The Verne, where Gary Glitter is reportedly serving his sentence, in July 2019. She was given a written warning in 2020 for concerns over her professionalism and interaction with prisoners. Her probationary period was extended because she was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with two prisoners. The court heard the mother-of-three saved Trengrove's name in her mobile under "husband to be". Robert Bryan, prosecuting, read out some gushing messages the prison officer sent Trengrove stating he was 'the one', that she would love him 'til my last breath' and he was her 'reason for living'. Mr Bryan said: "He said things moved on from being friendly in August-September 2022. "He said 'I did maintenance work around the prison, there were lots of workshops, we would meet down at the workshops where less people were around. "It got to the point she was coming in for work on days off and we would work together for three or four hours at a time.' "He said they had unprotected sex 30-40 times. She told him in November she was pregnant with his baby. "He encouraged her to be less risky but she said that would mean less opportunity to meet. "She lost the baby at about eight weeks." Trengrove was moved HMP Channings Wood in Devon in March 2023. Besotted prison officer caught sneaking into cupboard with inmate she 'proper fell in love with' is jailed Austin-Sadddington sent Trengrove intimate photos while he was at Channings Wood, but these were intercepted by staff. On May 26 she visited him under a false name. During a pat down search officers found she was not wearing any underwear and had the empty syringe in her bra and she was arrested. Emily Cook, defending Austin-Saddington, argued that her client shouldn't be jailed due to her ill-health. She said: "She had this incredibly devastating physical event that has occurred since her offending. "In February 2024, her then partner awoke to find her on the floor. She doesn't know how but something was going on with her spine. "She is wheelchair-dependent. She has had her liberty curtailed for many months, not by the court but by her ill health. "You can see from the messaging, they formed a very intense and infatuated relationship. She takes full responsibility for what she did. She is very ashamed and upset. "You are not sentencing the woman who committed these offences, she's a very different woman now." Nick Robinson, defending Trengrove, said it was a 'genuine infatuation', he was not corrupting her. He said: "Everything was driven towards having conversation with someone he genuinely cared about. "Before this he was a good prisoner, working hard towards the earliest possible release. "He knew what he was doing, his heart ruled his head." Judge Jonathan Fuller KC told Austin-Saddington: "The prison service expects the highest standards from their employees. "Failure to apply those standards can have an enormous and lasting impact on the prisons, the care of inmates, the integrity which is to be maintained and, of course, public confidence. "Your betrayal of that trust represents a serious and prolonged misconduct by someone in public office. "I am mindful of your current physical state and pending rehabilitation. For that reason only I reduce the sentence in order to suspend it. "Had it not been for the accident that befell Miss Austin-Saddington the sentence would have been an immediate sentence of imprisonment." He added: "The intensity of their feelings towards each other, as shown in the messages, could perhaps be described as mutual obsession with each other. "The expressed intention was that they should spend the rest of their lives together. "This was a relationship of equal halves, both making the wrong decision." Austin-Saddington admitted misconduct in a public office and conveying a mobile phone into a prison. She was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months with 25 rehabilitation activity days. Trengrove admitted encouraging or assisting her in the misconduct, having a mobile phone inside prison and using it for 'unauthorised transmission of images or sound'. After the case, Detective Inspector Alastair Quinn, of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), said: "We are committed to working with our region's prisons to root out corruption and will be looking to take similar action against other prisoners who seek to corrupt prison staff. "Clearly, by entering into a relationship with a prisoner, Austin-Saddington was herself also committing a serious offence and undermining the already challenging work her former colleagues do." 6 6 6
