May 27 (UPI) — Deputies in central Florida fatally shot a man believed to be on drugs who allegedly charged at them after emerging from a lake where he appeared to have been attacked by an alligator.
The incident happened Monday morning in a gated community in Polk County.
The deceased has been identified as Timothy Schulz, 42. The county sheriff, Grady Judd, told reporters during a press conference that Schulz had a long criminal history related to methamphetamine and was most recently released from prison on May 20.
“He’s dead. Deader than four o’clock,” Judd said.
“I don’t know if this is a suicide by cop or a suicide by being absolutely out of your mind on methamphetamine.”
Two deputies, one a trainee, shot and killed a garden-shears-armed Schulz as he entered their running patrol car and allegedly tried to take either a rifle or shotgun from the vehicle, the sheriff said.
“This is one more example of how violent people are when they use meth and they use drugs,” he said.
Judd said law enforcement was first notified about Schulz by a local racetrack at 5:56 a.m. EDT, reporting there was a “bizarre” man on the premises who was “shaking” and asking to call his son.
About two hours later, a second witness called to report a White man seen swimming in an alligator-infested lake. One witness, Judd said, tried to give Schulz a life preserver, which he rejected.
A witness also reported seeing Schulz treading water in the lake near several alligators, one of which appeared to have bitten him on the arm.
He then emerged from the lake into a gated community, walked between houses and picked up a pair of garden shears. Deputies arrived on the scene as he was throwing a brick at the window of a vehicle.
Judd said the deputies repeatedly backed away from Schulz as they tried to get him to drop the shears. They then twice tased Schulz who attempted to enter the patrol car.
“He was trying to get to our rifle and or shotgun and we shot him. Now, quite frankly, his conduct was outrageous. It was bizarre,” Judd said.
“The fact that he was bitten by an alligator significantly and still continued his rampage is shocking.”
Judd used the press conference to warn others who may consider threatening deputies.
“Let me make this abundantly clear: You’re not going to shoot at our deputies, you’re not going to point guns at our deputies, you are not going to point garden sheers at our deputies, you’re not going to break into the car and try to get their rifles, you’re not going to assault feloniously our deputies — you’re just not going to do that. And if you do, we’re going to shoot you — just enough so you don’t want to do that ever again or can’t do that ever again,” he said.
Suspect Timothy Patrick Schulz, released from the Polk County Jail on May 20, 2025, for possession of meth. pic.twitter.com/Nss7GgKHSt— Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) May 26, 2025
Sheriff Judd is giving details about a deputy-involved shooting that occurred this morning (May 26) in Lakeland. We are live on Facebook @polkcountysheriff pic.twitter.com/k7QhGBoixT— Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) May 26, 2025
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is awaiting sentence for importing cannabis into the UK
As a footballer, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas seemed destined for greatness. But a drug-smuggling conviction has left his career and reputation in tatters. How did things unravel so dramatically for a player once tipped for the top?
Hailed by legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as a footballer who could “play anywhere”, Emmanuel-Thomas was marked out early on as having elite potential.
Imposing, technically gifted and surprisingly agile, the striker appeared to have the world at his feet.
But a career that promised so much at Arsenal faltered and saw him spend years flitting between the second and third tiers of English football.
In 2020 he moved to play in Scotland and was still plying his trade north of the border when, on 18 September, he was arrested at his home in Gourock, near Glasgow.
Sixteen days earlier, Border Force officers had stopped two women at London Stansted Airport and found drugs in their cases.
It was not a minor haul; they were staring at cannabis with a street value of £600,000.
How did it get there? The evidence soon led detectives to Emmanuel-Thomas.
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Emmanuel-Thomas (centre) captained Arsenal to FA Youth Cup victory, aged 16. His team-mates included future England star Jack Wilshere (left)
Wind back a decade and a half, and things were very different.
It is 26 May 2009, and Arsenal’s latest batch of academy talents can barely contain their excitement.
The young prospects, including Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin, have just won the FA Youth Cup.
One player in particular has stood out: their 16-year-old captain, Emmanuel-Thomas, who has scored in every round of the competition.
“These young men have a very bright future indeed,” remarked one commentator.
But despite going on to make five first-team appearances, it was not quite to be for Emmanuel-Thomas.
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Emmanuel-Thomas, pictured at the back with his tongue out, was caught after a “very thorough investigation” by the NCA
He was shipped out on several loans before leaving the north London club for Ipswich Town.
It was a move that excited supporters in Suffolk, who were keen to see what the former Arsenal starlet could produce.
However, 71 games and eight goals later, Emmanuel-Thomas had not quite made the mark fans hoped for, and he moved to Bristol City in a player exchange deal.
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Emmanuel-Thomas’s spell at Ipswich did not live up to fans’ hopes
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The striker was a prolific scorer in his first season at Bristol City
Here, he helped the Robins secure promotion to the Championship and became something of a cult hero, scoring 21 goals in his first season.
A move to Queens Park Rangers followed, with subsequent loan spells at MK Dons and Gillingham.
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A spell at MK Dons was another step in Emmanuel-Thomas’s career
But in 2019, Emmanuel-Thomas accepted a transfer to a Thai-based team that would alter the course of his life.
It is believed he was tempted into the country’s drugs underworld while playing for PTT Rayong, a club that folded in the same year.
Despite later moves to an Indian side and several Scottish outfits, including Aberdeen, Emmanuel-Thomas never shook off the criminal connections he made.
By the time he took a six-month contract at Greenock Morton, a 40-minute drive from Glasgow, the game was almost up.
NCA
The drugs were intercepted by Border Force officers at London Stansted Airport in Essex
The women arrested at Stansted were his 33-year-old girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and her friend Rosie Rowland, 28.
Emmanuel Thomas, by then 33, appeared in court charged with orchestrating the attempted importation of drugs, and was sacked by his club.
Detectives discovered he had duped Ms Piotrowska, from north-west London, and Ms Rowland, from Chelmsford, into travelling to Thailand with the promise of £2,500 in cash and an all-expenses-paid trip.
Their job? To bring home two suitcases each, filled with what they were assured was gold, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
‘I feel sorry for the girls’
They flew business class from Bangkok, landing in Essex via Dubai.
Unknown to them, they were smuggling in cannabis with a street value of £600,000, vacuum-packed inside the four cases.
The pair were stopped and arrested by Border Force officers, before being charged with drug importation offences.
With the pair in custody, and Emmanuel-Thomas later remanded, police probed how the drugs made it to the UK.
They soon found the player was the intermediary between suppliers in Thailand and dealers in the UK, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
With the footballer’s encouragement, the women had also made a near-identical trip in July, having been made similar promises of cash and a lavish holiday.
On his way to custody, Emmanuel-Thomas even told NCA officers: “I just feel sorry for the girls.”
Elizabeth Cook/PA Media
Emmanuel-Thomas changed his plea to guilty
His first court hearing in September was told he carried out “extensive research” into flights and directions, including which airports the women had been going to.
David Philips, a senior NCA investigator, said “organised criminals like Emmanuel-Thomas” used persuasion and payment to get people to do their dirty work.
“But the risk of getting caught is very high and it simply isn’t worth it,” he added.
During several court appearances, Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road, Gourock, strenuously denied attempting to import cannabis.
However, he changed his plea to guilty at the start of May and restrictions on reporting this were lifted on Wednesday.
Charges against both Ms Piotrowska and Ms Rowland were dropped after the prosecution revealed they had been tricked by Emmanuel-Thomas.
It followed what David Josse KC described as a “very thorough investigation”.
Emmanuel-Thomas appeared via video link from HMP Chelmsford at his latest court hearing.
When he returns to court for sentencing, on a date still to be confirmed, it will not be his first time in the spotlight.
But it will be for very different reasons to the day he lifted that trophy aloft in 2009.
Genaro Garcia Luna, formerly a high-ranking government official, is serving a 38-year sentence for accepting bribes.
A Florida court has ordered Mexico’s former head of public security to pay more than $748m to his home country for his alleged involvement in government corruption.
Thursday’s ruling brought to a close a civil case first filed in September 2021 by the Mexican government.
The case centred on Genaro Garcia Luna, who served as Mexico’s security chief from 2006 to 2012. Garcia Luna is currently serving more than 38 years in a United States prison for allegedly accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel.
The Mexican government alleges that Garcia Luna also stole millions in taxpayer funds, and it has pledged to seek restitution, namely by filing a legal complaint in Miami, Florida, where it says some of the illegal activity took place.
On Thursday, Judge Lisa Walsh in Miami-Dade County not only required Garcia Luna to pay millions, but she also ordered his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, to pay $1.7bn. Altogether, the total neared $2.4bn.
In its initial 2021 complaint, the Mexican government – led at the time by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador – accused Garcia Luna, his wife and their co-defendants of having “concealed funds stolen from the government” and smuggling the money to places like Barbados and the US.
“Under the direction of the Defendant GARCIA LUNA, the funds unlawfully taken from the government of MEXICO were used to build a money-laundering empire,” the complaint wrote.
It alleged those funds were used to finance “lavish lifestyles” for Garcia Luna and his co-conspirators, including real estate holdings, bank accounts and vintage cars, among them Mustangs from the 1960s and ’70s.
A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Spanish, ‘Garcia Luna is guilty’, in New York on February 21, 2023 [John Minchillo/AP Photo]
Separately, Garcia Luna faced criminal charges for corruption, with US authorities accusing him of pocketing millions while in office for working on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel.
Through his work with Mexico’s federal police and as its security chief, US prosecutors say Garcia Luna accessed information that he later used to tip off the Sinaloa cartel, letting them know about investigations and the movements of rival criminal groups.
Garcia Luna was also accused of helping the cartel move its shipments of cocaine to destinations like the US, sometimes using Mexico’s federal police as bodyguards – and even allowing cartel members to wear official uniforms.
In exchange, prosecutors say the cartel left money for him in hiding places, one of which was a French restaurant across the street from the US embassy in Mexico City. Some bundles of cash – offered in $100 bills – totalled up to $10,000.
After leaving office in 2012, Garcia Luna moved to the US. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His defence lawyers have described him as a successful businessman living in Florida.
But in February 2023, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Garcia Luna on drug-related charges, including international cocaine conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine. The following year, in October, he was sentenced to decades in prison.
The Mexican government, however, alleged in its civil lawsuit that Garcia Luna also led a “government-contracting scheme” that included bid-tampering and striking dubious deals as a form of money laundering.
Those contracts included deals for surveillance and communications equipment. The Associated Press news agency reported that one such contract was falsified, and others were inflated.
Garcia Luna is the highest-level Mexican government official to be convicted in the US.
A FORMER Met detective who investigated Jay Slater’s disappearance has said his drug dealer “pal” has to come forward and answer key questions from the inquest.
Detective turned TV-sleuth Mr Williams-Thomas said he had been in close contact during the investigation with a number of witnesses – including Jay’s family and friends.
Now he has urged Qassim to come forward and answer questions from the “disappointing” inquest.
Qassim took the19-year-old Britback to anAirbnbin Masca the night before he went missing on June 17.
Mr Williams-Thomas called Qassim “the most important witness” who he says gave him “crucial evidence” that “hasn’t been made public” yet.
The ex-detective added that the evidence he received from Qassim in his own investigation provides “greater context” as to why Jay left the villa.
Qassim was previously jailed for nine years in 2015 as the ringleader of a London-based gang dealing heroin and crack cocaine in Cardiff.
He and another Brit previously known only as “Rocky” had rented the Airbnb in the remote Tenerife mountains that they took Jay back to after the festival.
Jay posted a final Snapchat picture of himself smoking on the doorstep of the apartment at 7.30am on June 17 before leaving shortly after.
Qassim has always denied any involvement in Jay’s death.
Jay Slater inquest drama as mum makes shock demand…meaning MORE bombshells to come after drugs & ‘missing’ pals revealed
One of those theories claimed Jay had stolen a £12,000 watch – which his mum Debbie dismissed as vile rumours.
Josh Forshaw, who met Jay as they boarded a plane from Manchester to Tenerife, said he received a message from the teen before he disappeared.
It read: “Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [luxury watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it.”
Josh told the hearing via video link that Jay said he was planning to sell the strap for “10 quid”, slang for £10,000.
Josh told the hearing he received a Snapchat from Jay later in the night that claimed he “ended up getting thrown out” of the venue with two other people.
He also claimed Jay sent him a photo showing “knives down his trousers” that was captioned “in case it kicks off”.
Josh said he didn’t mention the image to Spanish police before leaving Tenerife, but did inform cops in Lancashire on his return.
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The Airbnb Jay went to before he vanishedCredit: Steve Reigate
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Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan pictured outside Preston Coroner’s CourtCredit: STEVE ALLEN
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Dad Warren Slater and brother outside the hearingCredit: STEVE ALLEN
Speaking of Josh’s claim of receiving the knives image, Mr Williams-Thomas says he was told that they weren’t found with him and were left in the apartment.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay travelled to the Spanish island in June to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas with two friends, Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves.
The teen travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men including Qassim in the early hours of June 17, before leaving at around 8am.
Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, made a heartbreaking final call to his friend Law saying he had cut his leg, was lost, dehydrated and had just one per cent battery on his phone after he left the Airbnb.
They claimed she was also unaware that she had been called to give evidence at the inquest.
Speaking at the family home in Burnley, Lucy’s stepfather Andy Davis said: “We had no idea Jay’s inquest was even being held today.
“The police have only just been round today to say that she was due to give evidence. But it’s the first time we knew of it.”
He added: “They asked if Lucy was home and I said she was abroad and they asked me if I was aware that she should have been in court, and I said I wasn’t.”
“The police said they had sent Lucy paperwork with the dates on it, but the first I knew about it was when the police turned up earlier today.”
Sources in the Slater family later said they were aware where the other missing witnesses were, and had also been able to find them easily, according to the MailOnline.
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Jay with friend Lucy Law, who he was on holiday withCredit: Instagram
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A post-mortem examination concluded he died of traumatic head injuriesCredit: Ian Whittaker
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Jay’s devastated mum Debbie beside his graveCredit: Louis Wood
The family source said: “Lucy is in Tenerife. Another supposedly untraceable witness is on holiday in Greece.
“If we can find this out so quickly why can’t the police?”
The court also heard a suggestion that witnesses may be reluctant to appear because drugs may have been involved.
After Jay’s body was found, officials said there were traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine in his body.
Dr Adeley said: “When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities.”
Jay‘s disappearance and death remain largely cloaked in mystery and it is hoped that glaring gaps in his final movements will be filled after the inquest.
The inquest heard from three construction workers who said, via video link, they saw Jay on the main road through the remote village of Masca and he asked them about bus times.
He was attempting the treacherous 10-hour walk back to his apartment in Los Cristianos when he called Lucy to say he was lost.
DCI Rachel Higson, head of digital media investigations at Lancashire Police, told the hearing today that Jay’s phone recorded “a lot of steps and inclines” between 7.59am and 8.49am.
His mobile last pinged in the mountainous Rural de Teno Park after Jay walked the wrong way from the Airbnb, and DCI Higson said there was “no data recorded” after 8.49:51am.
After a month-long search, Jay’s body was found in a ravine on July 15 last year – near to where his phone last pinged.
A post-mortem examination concluded he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.
Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd today told the inquest Jay suffered a “heavy fall from height” and the “devastating” effects would have been “immediate”.
Why the inquest farce is more pain for Jay’s family
AS I stood in the sweltering, remote mountains of Masca I was told the news Jay Slater’s loved ones dreaded – his body had been found.
But for his devastated family, it didn’t bring the closure they so desperately needed.
Now almost a year on, his grief-stricken mum, dad and brother have been subjected to yet more torment as an inquest into his death dredged up painful details of his disappearance – while lacking any actual answers.
Jay’s courageous mum Debbie Duncan opened up to me just weeks after his body was found about how she was tortured by not knowing what happened to her beloved son before he fell to his death.
I was humbled by the bravery she showed in the face of living every parent’s worst nightmare on the world stage – relentlessly hounded by mindless trolls.
Spineless witnesses failing to turn up to the hearing to provide crucial information is a kick in the teeth for Debbie and his already suffering family.
The 19-year-old went missing 11 months ago, and his body tragically discovered 29 days later.
So why after all these months has the court failed to bring together vital witnesses – including the two friends he was on holiday with?
After months and months of battling through their grief, the last thing Jay’s family needed was to face a farce of a hearing without the necessary witnesses.
In one case, a person suffered permanent brain damage because of a delayed transfer, The Guardian newspaper reported.
UnitedHealth has allegedly secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers — the latest accusations in a series of woes facing the health insurance giant.
The alleged action, first reported by The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday, was part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that have saved the company millions, but at times, risked residents’ health, the publication showed, citing an investigation.
The story, which cites thousands of documents and firsthand accounts of more than 20 former employees of the healthcare company and nursing homes, says that the insurance giant sent its own medical teams to nursing homes to push the cost-cutting measures. As a result, patients who urgently needed medical care did not receive it, including one person who now lives with permanent brain damage after a delayed transfer.
The allegations add to the litany of negatives that have hurt UnitedHealth in the last several months, following a massive cyberattack at its Change Healthcare unit, reports of criminal and civil investigations into the company’s practices, including one for Medicare fraud and the abrupt departure of CEO Andrew Witty last week.
UnitedHealth said in response to the story, “The US Department of Justice investigated these allegations, interviewed witnesses, and obtained thousands of documents that demonstrated the significant factual inaccuracies in the allegations.”
The company also said that the DOJ “declined to pursue the matter”.
Wall Street responds
Shares have stumbled all year, losing more than 39 percent compared with a 0.6 percent decrease for the Dow. As of noon ET (16:00 GMT), the stock is down more than 3.6 percent.
“The news is only seemingly getting worse for UnitedHealth,” said Sahak Manuelian, managing director, global equity trading at Wedbush Securities.
HSBC downgraded the stock to “reduce” from “hold,” and cut the price target to a street-low of $270.
The brokerage said higher medical costs, pressure on drug pricing and its pharmacy benefit management unit, OptumRx, and a potential Medicaid funding cut can upset the company’s recovery journey.
THE distraught father of drugs charge teenager Bella Culley has vowed to stand by his daughter – amid new fears Far East drugs gangs are targeting British backpackers.
Bella, 18, is on remand in a grim jail following her arrest in Georgia’s Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand.
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Bella’s dad Niel, who flew to Tbilisi last week, told The Sun he ‘will be here for as long as it takes’Credit: Paul Edwards
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Bella revealed in court that she was ‘in love’ with a mystery man and that she is pregnantCredit: Facebook
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Niel and Bella’s aunt Kerry Culley pictured after their meeting with Bella’s lawyer La ToduaCredit: Paul Edwards
Bella’s flight took off from the same Bangkok airport within hours of another pretty British trafficking suspect arrested with £1.2 million of a cannabis-related drug in Sri Lanka.
Former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee, 21, was in a gruesome Sri Lankan jail cell last night awaiting a court appearance.
Their arrests have sparked fears that Thai gangs may be hoodwinking vulnerable British backpackers into ferrying their drugs after a crackdown on postal trafficking.
Bella was facing at least nine months on remand in a grim Soviet-era jail alongside hardened criminals.
She had joked online of “Bonnie and Clyde” hijinks while showing off cash wads in the Far East and was pictured smoking a spliff.
Bella’s family from Billingham, County Durham are convinced she was preyed upon after flying to the Far East to party with a mystery man feared to have hooked her up with drugs runners.
Her dad Niel – a Vietnam-based oil rig electrician – flew to Tbilisi last week desperate for answers after tearful Bella told a court that she was pregnant.
But he has yet to meet his daughter within the drab confines of No5 Women’s Penitentiary on the outskirts of the Georgian capital and remains baffled by her plight.
Asked about his plans after arriving in Tbilisi, Mr Culley, 49, told The Sun today: “I can’t say anything but I will be here for as long as it takes.
“I obviously have no experience in dealing with situations like this and it’s very difficult.”
Pregnant ‘smuggler’ Bella Culley faces raising her child in grim ex-Soviet prison
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Bella from Billingham, County Durham, was seen in court in Tbilisi after being detained on suspicion of carrying 14kg of cannabisCredit: East2West
Appearing shaky as he puffed on a cigarette, the anxious dad at one point appeared ready to make a statement when asked how his daughter was bearing up in prison.
But he broke off to confer with Bella’s aunt Kerrie Culley – who is supporting him in Georgia – and returned shaking his head.
He added: “I’m being advised by the British Embassy and can’t comment at the moment.
“But that may change in the future depending on what happens.”
Fears are growing that a Thai drugs gang is preying on British backpackers this summer as Charlotte became the second Brit flying out of Bangkok to be arrested within days.
She was detained at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka on Monday – the day after Bella’s arrest – where police say she had a huge stash of kush – a synthetic strain of cannabis.
Charlotte from Chipstead, Surrey was last night locked in a cell with 20 other prisoners with barely room to lie down as she awaited a court hearing.
Bella took off first from Bangkok on a 20-hour flight via Sharjah in the UAE to Georgia while Charlotte left later on a three-hour direct flight to Sri Lanka.
Both girls departed from the Thai capital during the Royal Ploughing Ceremony weekend – one of the busiest festivals of the year when airports are crammed with tourists.
It is believed to have provided a prime opportunity for traffickers to operate mules – particularly attractive young Britons who arouse less suspicion.
The two arrests follow a huge crackdown on smugglers sending cannabis to the UK by post.
A joint operation by both countries has seen a 90 per cent in reduction in the drug being mailed to Britain since last year.
It suggests Thai gangs may now be reverting to using drug mules to ship their products instead – and targeting British backpackers.
Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 which sparked a massive rise in the narcotic being posted to Britain.
The law change allowed traffickers to hoodwink trippers into believing transporting it was legal.
Thai checks of mail being shipped stopped 1.5 tonnes in the first quarter of this year – a 90 percent drop in the illicit cargo – in a drive which frustrated the gangs.
Some 800 people including 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted smuggling since July 2024 with over nine tonnes of cannabis seized.
Retired Georgian police chief General Jemal Janashia voiced concerns that backpackers were being targeted yesterday.
He said: “The fact that two young British women have taken off with large quantities of drugs from the same airport will interest investigators.
“They will be concerned about the possibility of a link and that Thai gangs may be attempting to recruit vulnerable British travellers.
“After the crackdown on postal drug deliveries, the Thai cartel are seeking new routes and Georgia does look like an attractive middle transit point.
“It’s relatively close, and easy to reach Europe and is visa free to European travellers.”
He added: “I feel sorry for this woman because she was clearly used and manipulated. She’s 18, she’s a foreigner, pregnant.
“All of this indicates that she was chosen deliberately, chosen carefully, she was studied.
“Whoever chose her, they knew what they were doing.”
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A female prison near Tbilsi, Georgia where suspected Brit drug mule Bella Culley is being heldCredit: .
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The exterior of Tbilisi Prison No.5, which is Georgia’s only female prisonCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
“Yours is one sided. Ours is fair and clearly a real attempt to make the fight actually happen.”
Taylor said they countered with a fight in the US, with a coin toss to decide who walks out second.
Jake Paul reveals stunning behind-the-scenes talks to fight Oleksandr Usyk after teasing shock world title shot
It would include full drug testing, at 190lb over eight rounds in a 20x 20ft ring, co-promoted down the middle with both to mutually approve all costs.
Taylor added: “Your contract had MVP as lead promoter in charge of everything and you put Wasserman boxing USA as side promoter.
“(FYI Wasserman boxing USA does not exist). You purposely omitted Misfits as an ego based mind game tactic.
“C’mon man. Let’s give the people what they want and not let ego’s get in the way.
We have a duty to our clients and respect due to the fans that made them!!”
KSI, 31, is yet to fought since losing a controversial decision to Tommy Fury, 26, in October 2023.
Jake Paul vs KSI: The terms
Jake Paul’s terms
10 rounds
192.5lb
18x18ft ring
Full VADA testing
December 24th
MVP in association with Wasserman
KSI’s terms
Fight in USA
Full VADA testing
190lb
8 rounds
20x20ft ring
Co-promoted down the middle
Both promotions to mutually approve all costs and undercard fights etc
He was due to return last August but pulled out with a hand injury before illness saw him withdraw from facing MMA star Dillon Danis, 31, in March.
KSI is now due to have surgery on his busted hand with his boxing career in the air.
Meanwhile Paul, 28, returns against ex-middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, on June 28 in a cruiserweight clash.
It comes after he fought at heavyweight in November to beat Mike Tyson, who controversially came out of retirement aged 58.
Paul now drops back down to the 200lb limit of 14st 4lb while KSI lost to Fury a stone lighter at 183lb.
Their weight disagreement has been the biggest factor standing in the way of the grudge bout.
And Bidarian said: “Not engaging in a back and forth.
“We proposed our terms to Wasserman on April 4th and the offer that followed was those exact terms. Jake Paul wants to fight KSI.
“He does not need to fight KSI. Jake has campaigned at 200+ since December of 2023 and plans to continue at that weight with the intention to contest for a world championship by the end of 2026.”
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Jake Paul returns on June 28 against Julio Cesar Chavez JrCredit: The Mega Agency
THERE have been some massive fall outs among famous siblings.
From Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham spat to the Gallagher brothers’ bitter feud, there are several famous faces who are at war, or have been in the past, with their family,
And British stars aren’t the only ones, because there are several high-profile Hollywood stars who have been at war with their loved ones.
But the blame is being levelled at Nicola, which has upset Brooklyn, according to a source.
Kim Turnbull puts on brave face as she returns to work while Romeo jets to Paris with his mates amid family feud
They said: “She has never told him what to do and has been nothing but supportive — she’s a loyal wife.”
Brooklyn and Nicola also missed an intimate evening last Wednesday at the family’s £10million Cotswolds mansion.
The dinner was attended by Victoria, Romeo, Cruz, and his girlfriend Jackie.
Kim was absent, as were Brooklyn and Nicola.
Liam and Noel Gallagher
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Liam and Noel fell out when they were youngerCredit: PA
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The two brothers recently made up and will head on tour later this yearCredit: Getty
The two Manchester-born stars became famous together when they were in the band Oasis.
Clashing personalities saw Noel briefly quit the band after Liam threw a tambourine at him during a performance.
Later, Noel hit Liam on the head with a cricket bat when Liam annoyed him while he was working.
Liam’s last-minute pull-out and heckling from the audience during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1996 added to the feud.
The last straw was when a backstage argument in Paris in 2009, reportedly over Liam’s clothing firm, Pretty Green, led to Noel’s decision to leave the band.
But last month, Liam and Noel performed together for the first time in 16 years as they took to the stage of a members’ club in north London.
And now, the pair are preparing for the Oasis reunion tour which will take place later this year.
Leonardo DiCaprio and his step-brother Adam Farrar
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Leonardo DiCaprio and his step-brother Adam Ferrar in 1978Credit: Getty
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Leonardo and Adam are not close anymoreCredit: Getty
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In the 00s and 10s, Adam accused Leo of putting fame before his family.Credit: Getty
Although Leo and his step-brother Adam were close as kids, as they grew up, they grew apart.
In the 00s and 10s, Adam accused Leo of putting fame before his family.
In 2016, Adam spoke out about his relationship with Leo.
“We were once so close. I loved him and I still do,” he told MailOnline.
He added: “But we’ve not spoken in a couple of years. The last time I saw Leo was at his birthday party a couple of years ago.
“I’d been invited by another friend. Leo was pleased to see me and gave me a hug.
“But when I try to call him, my messages go unanswered. He has a whole team around him now and it’s impossible to penetrate that wall of hangers-on.”
He also told the paper: “Leo wants to save the world but he seems more concerned about the environment and climate change than he does about his own brother. It hurts.”
While Leo got famous, Adam developed a marijuana and cocaine habit, as well as a serious heroin addiction, with this coming to a head in 2008.
“I was arrested five or six times for petty theft, shoplifting from supermarkets, trying to support an opiate addiction of half a gram to a gram a day,” Adam told the outlet.
“Leo and I never had an argument. But he started surrounding himself with people that didn’t want me around. He’s the biggest star in the world and there’s me, messed up on drugs. I was slowly shut out of his world.
“Finally I got tired of going in and out of jail. I’ve been off heroin since 2013,” he said.
Meghan Markle and her half-sister Samantha Markle
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Meghan Markle says she grew up as an only childCredit: JAKE ROSENBERG/NETFLIX
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She has a half sister – Samantha MarkleCredit: PA:Press Association
Megan and her half sister Samantha Markle have been embroiled in a feud that has been long-running for many years.
According to Samantha, she and Meghan were close when they were growing up, although this is not backed by the Duchess.
The pair are 17 years apart and did not grow up at the same time.
In 2018, Vanity Fair reported that Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle “moved in together a couple of years before Meghan was born, along with Samantha and Thomas junior, who had relocated to L.A. after living with their mum.”
In Meghan’s chat with Oprah in 2021, she declared: “I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows, and I wished I had siblings.”
Samantha is estranged from Meghan, and the pair have not spoken for more than a decade, since her “early twenties”, it has been claimed.
Due to their estrangement, Samantha was not invited to Meghan’s wedding toPrince Harryin 2018. Samantha said at the time: “Out of respect and humanitarianism, the Markles should be invited if 2,000 complete strangers are. Our uncle, brother, me, best friend of 30 years, nephews. At issue is not a matter of closeness. Family is family.”
Nick and Aaron Carter
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Nick Carter and Aaron Carter didn’t always get alongCredit: Getty – Contributor
The pair’s bond weakened due to childhood trauma, addiction, and family drama.
In 2019, Nick filed a restraining order against Aaron, saying he had made violent threats.
Aaron denied this also accusing Nick of abuse.
On November 5, 2022, Aaron died at his home in California at the age of 34.
His body was found in his bathtub by a housekeeper.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner later ruled that Carter’s death was accidental: drowning after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam (Xanax).
He was cremated, and his ashes were left in the care of his twin sister Angel.
Julia Roberts and her half-sister Nancy Motes
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Julia Roberts had a half sisterCredit: Getty – Contributor
Julia Roberts and her half-sister Nancy Motes had a “tortured” bond before she died by suicide.
In 2014, Nancy, who was 37, was found in a bathtub filled with water at a friend’s home in Los Angeles, where she had been dog-sitting.
LA County Coroner spokesman John Kades said prescription drugs had been found at the residence.
She wrote a suicide note blaming Julia for bullying her most of her adult life.
In the three-page note, she said: “My so-called siblings get nothing except the memory that they are the ones that drove me into the deepest depression I’ve been in.”
Louis Tomlinson and his half-sister Georgia
The One Direction star’s biological dad left shortly after he was born and became estranged from him.
His father later had a daughter called Georgia who became a huge One Direction fan when she was 14.
She and Louis’ biological dad, Troy, then saw Louis in a One Direction concert when the band were at the height of fame.
The siblings failed to reconnect.
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Louis shot to fame in boyband One DirectionCredit: Getty
A PRISON governor has been jailed over an illicit relationship with a drug gang boss who gifted her a £12,000 Mercedes.
Kerri Pegg was seen as a “rising star” in the Prison Service and quickly rose through the ranks to become governor at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire.
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Kerri Pegg received a car from her lag lover after she green-lit his releaseCredit: PA
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She has now been jailedCredit: PA
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The prison governor had a fling with Anthony SaundersonCredit: Unpixs
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He gifted her a £12,000 MercedesCredit: PA
But her career is now in ruins after she embarked on a relationship with inmate Anthony Saunderson, who was known as Jesse Pinkman after the series Breaking Bad.
Pegg, 42, has now been jailed after she was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in a public office.
One relates to the divorcee’s fling with Saunderson and the second by failing to disclose county court judgements about her debts.
She was also convicted of one count of possessing criminal property, the Mercedes car, from Saunderson.
Preston Crown Court heard Pegg released Saunderson on licence in 2019 despite not having the authority to approve the bid.
After he was granted his freedom, the prisoner used cash from selling 34 kilos of amphetamines to buy Pegg the Mercedes coupe.
On April 6, 2020, Saunderson was sent a message on Encrochat saying “car her for ya bird 12 quid or work” and a photo of the vehicle.
The court was told “12 quid” meant £12,000 and “work” meant drugs.
Saunderson asked “what work they want” and he was told “top or weed” – meaning cocaine or cannabis.
Two days later, he arranged for “17 packs” to be dropped off in Manchester to pay for the car.
The Mercedes was registered in Pegg’s name, with a pal messaging Saunderson: “Where u ya seedy man u and Peggy out floating orrel in the new whip?”
Law enforcement agencies cracked the criminal’s Encrochat and discovered he was involved in drug trafficking on a huge scale.
Saunderson, who was also known to his criminal pals as James Gandolfini -the actor who played Tony Soprano in the mafia TV Series – has now been locked up for 35 years.
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Police found flip flops at Pegg’s home that contained Saunderson’s DNA
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She was arrested in November 2020
The court was told other messages revealed the “ongoing nature” of his relationship with Pegg.
Police searched her home on November 19, 2020, and found a toothbrush and flip flops containing Saunderson’s DNA.
Officers also discovered a haul of designer clothing and found Pegg was subject to a number of county court judgements for unpaid debts.
Prosecutor Barbara-Louise Webster said: “Her downfall was two-fold, the first, despite having a good income, she lived beyond her means.
“She spent all her income and more, incurring debts and she had county court judgements made against her.
“As a consequence, she became vulnerable and open to exploitation.
“The second was that she became emotionally and personally involved with a serving prisoner, Anthony Saunderson and later accepted an expensive car, a Mercedes C class, which was paid for by him out of his proceeds of criminal activity ie trading in drugs.”
Pegg joined the prison service in 2012 as a graduate entrant and worked at prisons in Risley, Liverpool and Styal.
By April 2018, she was a governor at HMP Kirkham, where Saunderson was serving a lengthy jail term.
He had been locked up in 2014 for his part in importing £19m of cocaine in shipments of corned beef from Argentina.
From the start, there were concerns about Pegg being inappropriately close to prisoners.
It was also noted that she spent a lot of time in her office with Saunderson.
In October 2018, he put in a request to be released on temporary licence.
Despite Pegg not having the authority to green light his release, she intervened and approved his application without notifying the official who should have dealt with the case.
Days later she was moved to another jail, later becoming duty governor at HMP Lancaster Farms.
Saunderson meanwhile was revealed as one of nine gangland figures responsible for producing amphetamines on an industrial, multi-million-pound scale.
The gang made and dealt 2.6 tonnes of amphetamines worth £1million – as well as trafficking heroin, cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, MCAT and diazepam.
Tarryn McCaffrey, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “Kerri Pegg’s conduct fell far short of what might be expected from any professional within the Prison Service, let alone one of such a senior grade as prison governor.
“She was clearly involved in an inappropriate relationship with Saunderson after he was released and the evidence points to this going back further, to a time when he was in jail.
“This relationship, and the fact that Pegg failed to disclose her debts to her employers, amount to a gross breach of trust and are therefore extremely damaging to public confidence.”
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Pegg started up the relationship while she was prison governor
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She was seen as a ‘rising star’ in the prison serviceCredit: PA
Benidorm police carried out a series of raids on the nightlife venues in the area known as the ‘English zone’ in the Spanish resort, which is popular with British holidaymakers
Rita Sobot and Milo Boyd Digital Travel Editor and Commercial Content Lead
16:06, 14 May 2025
Officers in Benidorm arrested seven people for crimes against public health (stock photo)(Image: P A Thompson via Getty Images)
Benidorm police are conducting daily sweeps in the town’s infamous ‘English zone’ in a bid to crack down on drug peddling to Brit holidaymakers.
Cops have unearthed several ingenious hiding spots for contraband, from inside fire extinguishers and sofa covers to electrical boxes and even loo roll holders. They’ve sent a clear message to dealers that no matter where they stash their illegal wares, they’ll be rooted out.
In the latest clampdown, seven individuals were arrested for crimes against public health, with officers confiscating drugs valued at €30,000 (£25,300).
A Benidorm Local Police spokesperson reported that this month alone, six venues in the bustling party hub frequented by British tourists have been probed, leading to four being shuttered as a precaution. The haul included 200 grams of cocaine, 300 tabs of LSD and MDMA pills, 200 portions of marijuana (THC), 20 grams of hash, eight canisters of laughing gas, along with mobiles and €3,000 in cash.
The police in Benidorm uncovered the drug stashes (stock photo)(Image: fbatista72 via Getty Images)
Stashing narcotics in bizarre places has become a routine “modus operandi” for drug sellers in the area, acknowledged by repeated busts. For instance, just back in March, two culprits were collared for hoarding drugs at a local nightspot, where 85 doses of narcotics were discovered.
MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, and cannabis were stashed away in fire extinguishers, toilet cisterns, and beneath the cash register.
Police have said that the pair arrested were tasked with minding the drugs at the pubs and raking in cash for them. Officers said they found them with a large sum of money. The police have vowed to keep up the daily raids.
Although most trips to Benidorm take place without any issues, tourists do occasionally face problems.
In April three men were apprehended in Benidorm after a tourist’s bank cards were stolen and used nine times in less than 20 minutes. The tourist was targeted near the town’s infamous Muggers’ Alley, located off Gerona Street next to the local tourist police station. The arrests were made after the victim received notifications on his mobile about the usage of his cards at various bars and restaurants around the town, leading detectives to one of these locations.
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Among those arrested were the alleged pickpocket, a getaway driver, and a third suspect who managed an unnamed bar where the Brit’s stolen cards had been charged.
In light of recent events, police issued a warning to tourists visiting Benidorm. They advised: “Always keep an eye on your personal belongings, especially in crowded areas. Do NOT keep cell phones or wallets in back pockets or easily accessible areas. Be wary of strangers who approach you with vague excuses or exaggerated gestures. In the event of a robbery, do not confront the offender directly and notify the police immediately.”
The first head-to-head trial of two blockbuster weight-loss drugs has shown Mounjaro is more effective than rival Wegovy.
Both drugs led to substantial weight loss, but Mounjaro’s 20% weight reduction, after 72 weeks of treatment, exceeded the 14% from Wegovy, according to the trial’s findings.
Researchers who led the trial said both drugs had a role, but Mounjaro may help those with the most weight to lose.
Both drugs trick the brain into making you feel full so you eat less and instead burn fat stored in the body – but subtle differences in how they work to explain the difference in effectiveness.
Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, mimics a hormone released by the body after a meal to flip one appetite switch in the brain. Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, flips two.
The trial, which was paid for by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, involved 750 obese people, with an average weight of 113kg (nearly 18 stone).
They were asked to take the highest dose they could tolerate of one of the two drugs.
32% of people lost a quarter of their body weight on Mounjaro compared to 16% on Wegovy
Those on Mounjaro lost an average of 18cm from their waistlines compared with 13cm on Wegovy.
Those on Mounjaro had better blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Both had similar levels of side-effects.
Women tended to lose more weight than men.
Dr Louis Aronne, who conducted the trial at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said: “The majority of people with obesity will do just fine with semaglatide (Wegovy), those at the higher end may ultimately do better with tirzepatide (Mounjaro).”
Private tirzepatide sales ‘well ahead of semaglutide’
In the UK, the two medicines are available from specialist weight-management services, but can also be bought privately.
Prof Naveed Sattar, from the University of Glasgow, said the drugs were “good options” for patients, but while “many will be satisfied with 15% weight loss… many want as much weight loss as possible”.
“In the UK, tirzepatide sales privately are now well ahead of semaglutide – that’s just a reality – and this paper will accelerate that I imagine,” he added.
However, Wegovy is also licensed for other conditions – such as preventing heart attacks – while the equivalent trials with Mounjaro have not been completed.
A huge amount of research into weight-loss drugs is still taking place. Higher doses of current drugs are being tested, as are new ways of taking them such as oral pills and new medicines that act on the body in different ways are being investigated.
It means the final winner in this field has yet to be determined.
Prof Sattar says the amount of research taking place means we may be approaching the point where “obesity prevention may also be possible soon”, but argues “it would be far better” to make our society healthier to prevent people becoming obese.
