26 h. ago Man abducted and battered by rapists took own life weeks before trial

Nathan Dawson, 20, took his own life three weeks before brothers Craig and Daniel Gallacher were due to go on trial for abducting and assaulting him.

Politics

31 h. ago Serial rapist Chao Xu jailed for life for raping women he drugged with a Chinese potion

Chinese national Chao Xu - dubbed one of London’s worst sex offenders - drugged women with special drink to ‘act out his deviant sexual fantasies’

Events

6 d. ago The Mushroom Tapes review – Erin Patterson through the eyes of Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein

This account of what the three authors observed during Patterson’s triple murder trial does resemble a podcast transcript at times, but it is extremely readableEvery reader of The Mushroom Tapes will open the book knowing that Erin Patterson was found guilty in July of murdering three people – her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson – and of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson. They will also know she was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years, and is now appealing against her conviction. Who among us hasn’t been roped into speculation about this family tragedy, the carcass of which has been picked over by pundits, amateurs and experts for years now?Over 11 long weeks, the baroque details of the trial of Erin Patterson were made immediately available to a ravenous public – including sightings of Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, three of Australia’s most celebrated nonfiction writers, in ...

Politics

8 d. ago Everything you need to know about fake Madeleine McCann's sidekick Karen Spragg

Karen Spragg, 61, was accused alongside of Julia Wandelt of stalking and harassing Madeleine McCann's parents, but was cleared of the allegations following a two-week trial

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Erin Patterson remains mysterious to me’: Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper on the mushroom murders

Three of Australia’s most acclaimed writers have teamed up to write The Mushroom Tapes, about the weeks they spent at the triple-murder trial, picking apart lies, media ethics and evil“None of us wants to write about this. And none of us wants to not write about it.”The profound inner conflict of the three narrators begins on page two of The Mushroom Tapes and never quite resolves, lingering as an ethical tension that colours almost every page. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Business and charity leaders urge ministers to lead England’s transition to four

Open letter signed by more than 100 leaders comes after local government secretary criticised a council for switching to shorter weekAnalysis: Benefits of a four-day week are ever clearer, despite Steve Reed’s stanceMore than 100 business and charity leaders have called on ministers to “lead the country’s transition toward a shorter working week”, after the local government secretary criticised a council for shifting to a four-day work pattern.Steve Reed wrote to South Cambridgeshire district council, the first English council to trial a four-day week, raising concerns about performance and value for money, and expressing his “deep disappointment” over the policy. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Grooming gang who sexually exploited 10 vulnerable women caged for 68 years

Mircea Cumpanasoiu, 37, Christian Urlateanu, 41, Alexandra Bugonea, 35, Remus Stan, 35, and Cataline Dobre, 45, were convicted following a six-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Events

2 w. ago NCAA must pay $18m over alleged failure to warn player about concussion risks

Jury finds college sports’ governing body negligentRobert Geathers has shown signs of CTEA South Carolina jury has decided the NCAA owes a former college football player and his wife $18m, while finding college sports’ major governing body negligent in failing to warn the player about the long-term effects of concussions.Following a civil trial that wrapped up late last week, Orangeburg county jurors awarded $10m to 68-year-old Robert Geathers, who played at South Carolina State University from 1977 to 1980 as a defensive end. His wife, Debra, was awarded $8m, according to a court document. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Serial rapist gets life sentence for attacks on children and adult

He must serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered for release

Events

3 w. ago What to know about the murder trial of an Illinois sheriff deputy who killed Sonya Massey

An Illinois sheriff's deputy goes on trial this week in the death of Sonya Massey

Events

3 w. ago Smart jab can shrink head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, trial finds

Triple-action therapy drug amivantamab could be given as an injection to help treat recurrent or metastatic cancersDoctors have hailed “incredibly encouraging” trial results that show a triple-action smart jab can shrink tumours in head and neck cancer patients within six weeks.Head and neck cancer is the world’s sixth most common form of the disease. If it spreads or comes back after standard treatment, patients may be offered immunotherapy and platinum chemotherapy. But if this fails, there is often little else doctors can do. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Exposed: The mothers who gave Ian Watkins their babies to violate. As one walks free, BARBARA DAVIES reveals their fates, horrifying truth of how they offered up their infants

As news broke of Ian Watkins' murder in prison last weekend it reached, among others, the two women who stood trial back in 2013 alongside the twisted Lostprophets frontman.

Politics