WATCH: Teen who lost both hands as a child completes entire makeup routine - using a BIONIC ARM
Video by: Sarah Lockey
This incredible video shows a teen who lost both hands to meningitis as a baby completing her makeup routine - using a BIONIC ARM.
Tilly Lockey, 13, can put on her eyeliner, use makeup brushes and blenders effortlessly without any assistance.
The inspirational girl has devoted her time over the years to raising awareness of the complications that can follow meningitis.
She needed 10 blood transfusions and lost both of her hands after contracting meningococcal septicaemia at just 15 months old.
Tilly was given a 0% chance survival by doctors but defied all of the odds to survive the deadly disease.
She has previously been given bionic arms with basic functions and also trialled several others.
But at Christmas 2018, Tilly was given her first set of comic book inspired 'hero arms' by Bristol-based technology company Openbionics.
The high-tech limbs can function as normal hands and were tailor-made for Tilly on a 3D printer.
The bionic arms are the first medically approved prosthesis of their kind in Britain and allow for precise and delicate movements that other prosthetic hands cannot do.
Tilly uses the arm to paint, play games and to give a 'thumbs-up' to her friends but she has also started to use them to put on her own makeup.
She has followed makeup blogs and now posts tutorials and videos online.
Her mum Sarah Lockey, 39, who works for the charity Meningitis Now which supported her daughter, said: "She finds the arm so useful.
"Tilly posted a video doing her makeup on her Twitter last year and everybody seemed to love it.
"She mainly started to put makeup on when she became a teenager so the arm has been such a huge help."
Tilly lost both of her hands and the tips of her toes when she contracted meningococcal septicaemia.
Aged just three-years-old, Tilly got a pair of 'myolectric arms' which only had basic functions of control.
For years after the surgery, Sarah desperately tried ways to get her the best prosthetics, fundraising and researching.
However, in 2016, Tilly was the first child in the world to be given trial 'bionic arms' by Bristol-based technology company Openbionics.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The new 'hero arms' - given to Tilly in 2018 - use sensors within the casing to respond to movements by Tilly and are designed to have all of the same functions as a usual pair of arms.
It means Tilly can now interact with her friends and family - including her father Adam Lockey, 38, and sisters Tia, 15, Lucyanna, 11, and Hermione, seven - in the same way as any other teenager.
Her mum Sarah, from Consett, County Durham said: "She can do everything with the arms.
"When she was diagnosed with meningitis as a 15-month-old I was told she had no chance of survival.
"To see how far she has come is incredible, I am so proud of her.
"She can use the arm just like anyone would use their hands.
"She now realises how much she can actually do with her 'hero arm' and she uses it for everything in everyday life.
"Tilly has become a triallist for the company now so she gets sent different designs and is used to test them for other children.
"She has tested around eight different designs since 2016 and they can then be altered and developed to be better for people in the same position."
Tilly has had incredible experiences throughout her life including meeting the Dalai Lama.
She has also appeared on hit ITV show 'This time next year..' where she showed the amazing difference being given her bionic arms had on her life.
Last week, Tilly even headed to London to model her hero arm at the premiere of Alita: Battle Angel in the West End - complete with a custom arm to become the character.
Sarah added: "She has achieved so much already in her life.
"We just want to keep raising the awareness of everything she went through and how much these arms can help children.
"I am so proud."
Image by: Sarah Lockey
Image by: Sarah Lockey
Image by: Simon Galloway
The 'hero arms' cost approximately £10,000 per arm to purchase, although Tilly has been given multiple different sets to trial due to her role as an ambassador for the company.
Tilly said she loves the simple things about the arms - including being able to hold two items at once.
She said: "I really love how I can now hold two things at once.
"It sounds really simple and it is probably what a lot of people take for granted but to me, to be able to hold a book in one hand and a pen in another while I’m studying is great.
"I also love how cool they look, they’re lots of fun and I’m proud to wear them.”
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Couple order corn on the cob in the Midlands - and get a bread roll filled with sweetcorn
Image by: Paige Hart
A couple who ordered a corn on the cob from their local takeaway were baffled to be served - a bread roll filled with sweetcorn.
Paige Hart, 24, and boyfriend William Maddock, 32, popped into a local takeaway in the Midlands, where a bread roll is known commonly known as a 'cob'.
They placed a £14 order - including a £3.50 dish of corn on the cob - before returning home to their flat in Carlton, Nottingham.
But when Page got home she discovered she'd been given sweetcorn on a bread roll.
Paige said: “Me and William wanted something to eat before we got home and couldn’t be bothered to cook.
“It’s a bit like Nando’s so we ordered our chicken.
“I turned to William and said I fancied I corn on the cob so I asked the guy behind the counter if he did it.
“At first he looked at me a bit weird and said ‘of course darling’ and bagged it up.
“We were just gobsmacked.
“We were both in stitches as he took it so literally.
“What some people call baps we call cobs so he took it literally."
Last year a YouGov study revealed how more than 50 per cent of people in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire use the word 'cob' for a bread roll.
“The thing is it didn’t even have butter on," said Paige. “And I still was really craving a corn on the cob.
“It’s not nice without butter. We didn’t eat it in the end. We took a few pics and put it in the bin.”
Image by: Paige Hart
Image by: Paige Hart
Hospital orthopaedic staff start morning ballroom dance routine before their shift
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS 
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Nurses at a hospital department have a new daily routine to boost spirits - a ballroom DANCING session on the ward before they start their shift.
The 22 staff members of orthopaedic outpatient team spend five minutes each morning moving and shaking to some upbeat dance tunes to get warmed up for work.
The unique daily fitness routine was only started in the department about four weeks ago.
But Orthopaedic Practitioner Andrew Stewart, who introduced it, says it is already proving a big hit.
Andrew, 58, who works on the orthopaedic outpatient ward at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, said: "It's a great way to warm yourself up, get your spirits going.
"We're always busy on the outpatient department, we can see between 200 and 400 patients in a morning, so it can get a bit intense. The dancing helps to clear the mind.
"It's still very new, but it's already proved to be a big success in the department."
Andrew, who has worked at the hospital for 12 years, loves to dance, and goes to weekly ballroom and Latin dancing classes - which is where he got the idea.
He said: "We do this thing called the Cupid shuffle at the end of each session, and I thought, this is what I'm looking for to bring back to work."
Andrew added: "It's a cross-generational thing, too - anybody can do it.
"One of our staff has had two knee replacements and has a bad hip, but she still comes along and joins in where she can.
"We start our shift at 8.30 in the morning, so we spend five minutes dancing, usually from 8.15 to 8.20.
"We try to get a dance in at the end of our lunch break, too - but it depends how busy we are.
"We get some funky tunes on to get us moving and get our blood flowing. At the moment we're dancing to Uptown Funk and to 5 6 7 8 by Steps."
Andrew said that anywhere between eight and fifteen staff members join in the dance routines - depending on how many people are working that day.
"We don't profess to be fitness gurus - it's just a bit of fun. I think fitness is an all-round thing, and is just as important for your mental health.
"It's about shaking off the sluggishness," he added.
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNSVideo by: Ellis Wylam
Stunned teen wakes up from coma to find she’d had a BABY!
Image by: Steve Chatterley
A teenager went to bed with a headache, fell into a coma and woke up four days later - after unknowingly giving birth to a surprise baby.
Ebony Stevenson, 18, had no idea she was pregnant, and after going to bed feeling unwell on December 2, 2018, she was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma before waking up on December 6 having had a baby girl.
The college student - who studies Sports Physiotherapy - hadn't developed a bump, experienced no morning sickness and had not missed a period.
She had no idea she was expecting as her unborn baby was hidden in one of two uteruses, in a condition called uterus didelphys.
The condition, thought to affect one in 3,000 women, means those affected are born with two uteruses.
In Ebony’s case, only one of them had a fallopian tube to carry an egg, while the other had none – meaning her chances of conception should have been slim.
After suffering a series of seizures on December 2, Ebony was rushed to Royal Oldham Hospital, Greater Manchester, and placed in an induced coma.
Medics performed tests and discovered Ebony had suffered from preeclampsia which had caused the seizures, and she was pregnant.
They told her mum immediately and said that the baby needed to be delivered right away.
She underwent an emergency caesarean on Monday 3 December and gave birth to a baby girl at 1.32am who weighed 7lbs 10ozs - just over three hours after the first fit.
Ebony woke on December 6 to discover she had given birth and was suddenly a mum.
She has now got her head around the news and is enjoying bonding with her daughter, who she has named Elodie.
The first time mum, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said: "I didn't think I even wanted kids, at least not for another 10 years and never expected to be a young mum.
"Waking up from a coma to be told I had been pregnant and had given birth to a baby girl was overwhelming to say the least.
"Meeting my baby was so surreal. It felt like an out of body experience.
"I worried I wouldn't bond with my daughter because I had no time to get my head around her arrival, but I think she's amazing.
"It's an absolute miracle. I wouldn't change Elodie for the world."
Ebony had thought she was just unwell when she went to bed at 8.30pm on Sunday 2 December, complaining of a headache.
She doesn’t remember anything from then until waking up four days later - suddenly a mum.
Thankfully her mum, Sheree, 39, a stay-at-home mum-of-five, has been able to fill in the blanks.
Sheree said: “At around 10pm that night I heard Ebony shout down to me that her headache had gotten really bad.
“She started being sick so I rushed her into the bathroom and before I knew it she was having a seizure on the bathroom floor.
“I rang 999 immediately as she’d never had anything like this before.”
In the five minutes it took the ambulance to arrive, Ebony had five more seizures.
When paramedics treated Elodie they asked if she was pregnant.
“Despite me insisting she couldn’t be pregnant, the paramedics were certain she was, and to my shock a bump had appeared at her stomach,” Sheree said.
“They think the ferocity of the seizures could have caused the baby to move, making it suddenly visible.”
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Image by: Ebony Stevenson
Image by: Ebony Stevenson
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Ebony was rushed to Royal Oldham Hospital, near Manchester, where she was sedated before being rushed for an emergency caesarean that same morning.
Proud grandmother Sheree was the first to hold the surprise baby, who was born weighing 7lbs 10oz.
“It was a strange moment because I had no time to prepare for it,” Sheree said.
“I was over the moon that she was happy and healthy, but couldn’t help but worry about my own little girl who remained in a coma.”
For the next four days, Ebony was in an induced coma while Sheree and her mum – Ebony’s grandmother, Geraldine, 56 – stayed by her side, all the whilst looking after the little baby girl – who was later named Elodie.
On December 6, Ebony finally opened her eyes, and it was only then that she learnt she had two uterus’ – one of which was continuing to menstruate and the other which was growing her baby girl.
“When I woke up I remember the nurses telling me I had a baby, and before I knew it they’d put her on my chest,” said Elodie.
“It sounds awful now, but I asked them to take her away as I was so confused and sure they’d made a mistake.
“But my mum explained it all to me while the nurses were there and they gave my little girl back to me to hold properly for the first time.
“Although I was so confused – and pretty scared – it was a beautiful moment and she was so quiet.”
Due to the weight of her little girl, doctors suggest that Ebony carried her to full term, which is astonishing considering she had no idea.
This was made possible by the fact she has two uteruses - one is positioned towards her back so the pregnancy went unnoticed.
Neither Ebony nor her mum had any idea that she had two uteruses, but this allowed her to continue having regular periods throughout the pregnancy, disguising it even more.
“The doctors said that Elodie was a miracle baby, as women with her condition often struggle to conceive or carry to full-term,” Sheree said.
Both mum and baby remained in intensive care until finally being allowed home on December 13, where little Elodie was introduced to her uncles and aunts – Kennedy, 12, Poppy, eight, Pia, three and Navy, two.
“Ebony has taken to being a mum so well, she’s a natural,” Sheree added.
“And little Elodie is an absolute beauty – we couldn’t love her more if we tried.”
Ebony plans to go back to Hopwood College, Middleton – where she’s studying Sports Physiotherapy – in February, and mum Sheree will help take care of the baby.
“Although I had no time to prepare, I wouldn’t change what’s happened for the world,” said Ebony.
“I’m so excited to wake up and see her every morning, and to get to spend another day with my precious little miracle.”
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Pensioner saved after sinking up to his NECK in manure
Video by: Simon Maudlin 
Image by: Simon Maudlin
This is the moment firefighters saved a dog walker who was trying to rescue his pet and got stuck up to his neck - in MANURE.
Brian Marshall, 75, waded into the massive slurry pit to retrieve his Jack Russell Archie but soon found himself sinking.
Luckily his desperate calls for help were answered by fellow dog owner Matt Hollick, who heard faint calls as he left a nearby veterinary clinic.
He raised the alarm and firefighters arrived just as Brian's head began to sink into the stinking pile of waste.
“I’d given up trying to get out on my own," said Brian. "I felt like I was digging my own grave.
“I was gradually giving up and didn’t think I was going to make it.”
The drama began as Brian enjoyed a walk near Upper Caldecote, Beds., on Sunday (17/02) with Archie and his other dog Bella.
He said he had no choice but to go in after his pet.
“Using the Duke of Edinburgh’s words, 'I had been a bloody fool, and there was no one but me to blame'," he said.
"However to see the death by drowning of your loyal and trusted pet dog in front of your very eyes was not an option for me."
Trapped in the sludge, he began shouting for help and the wind carried his voice towards nearby Elizabeth Smith Veterinary Practice.
Luckily Mr Hollick heard his pleas as he loaded his dog into his car after an appointment.
Writing on social media, he said: "It's not everyday you take your dog to the vets as it ate raisins, to emerge having saved a guy's life in a farmers field.
"I was placing the dog in the car and taking after care advice with the vet.
"I could hear a faint cry for help which was being carried on the wind which was blowing in my direction.
"Three more calls of help later and I took off to investigate.
"I was greeted by an enormous muck slurry pit with a man stuck in the middle and sinking below the surface.
"I provided some initial advice to stabilise his position and used his dog leads and dog to reduce his decline."
Image by: Adam Harnett
Brian had been stuck for nearly an hour by the time crews from Sandy and Kempston Community Fire Stations and HART Ambulance reached him.
They used an inflatable hose, inflatable rescue paths and dry suits to pull him out of the pit.
He was then rushed to Bedford Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Brian from Ickwell, Beds., is full of praise for the actions of Mr Hollick.
“He masterminded it all," he said. "He called the emergency services and as I was sinking fast he told me to keep my arms up.
"The more I moved the worse it became."
“The fire crews were absolutely awesome. They went into the muck themselves to put a hoist round me.
“I and our two dogs Bella and Archie are so fortunate to all be alive and well.
"The Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service, the Ambulance crew, Bedford Hospital A&E, the police and so many others who were involved.
"Thank you one and all and for those who have phoned and sent messages. It is quite overwhelming.
“Thank you all so very much. Humanity can be very cruel at times but on this occasion nothing but kindness can be described.
"My long suffering wife Christine is busy manuring the garden as she sorts out all my clothes.”
A neighbouring farmer, Simon Maudlin, who had been called by the residents of nearby houses after hearing the cries, said: “Brian Marshall was a very lucky man.
"The wind carried his voice across a large open field towards Elizabeth Smiths Vets and the residential property.
"No wonder the area is called Windy ridge and it carried his voice of distress towards the buildings.”
The veterinary surgery also gave dogs Archie and Bella a clean bill of health.
A spokeswoman for the fire service said: "If you ever find yourself in a position where a pet or other animal is caught in water, mud or in this case a muck heap - please call 999 immediately for advice before getting yourself in to a situation where you are unable to tell emergency services where you are or more seriously putting your life in danger."
Image by: Adam Harnett
Image by: Adam Harnett
Speaking today (wed), Brian Marshall said it was his 16-year-old white Jack Russell Bella who had got stuck in the slurry, while Archie watched on.
The former owner of a horticultural business and his 68-year-old wife Christine have owned Bella since she was a newborn puppy.
Mr Marshall said the lucky dog was recovering well, adding: "She's absolutely fine. She's almost back to wanting her two-hour walk a day."
Asked what his wife said when she heard of the incident, Brian replied: "She said, 'Where's that lovely jumper that I knitted you?'
"She had knitted me this lovely blue jumper and they [the rescuers] had to cut it off me."
Describing the ordeal, he said: "I don't know how Bella go in that far but she just did. I looked round and she was howling her eyes out.
"I couldn't bear to see her drown. It was a silly thing to do. It was mad.
"I went in upright. I was getting further and further into the muck but in the process of pulling her out, it sent me onto my back."
He added: "I will live to fight another day when I thought there would be an early funeral round a manure heap."
Seven-year-old girl with incredibly rare birthmark set to feature in international exhibition
Image by: Adam Harnett
A seven-year-old girl born with a large birthmark on her face is featuring in an international exhibition with a message to 'love the skin you are in'.
Rosabella Harrison attracted the attention of world-renowned fashion photographer Brock Elbank after she was chosen to be the face of the charity Caring Matters Now.
The organisation provides support for those affected by Congenital Melanocytic Naevi (CMN) - a rare type of birthmark affecting one per cent of infants worldwide.
A photo shoot for the charity in September perfectly captured Rosabella's enchanting personality, which in turn grabbed the eye of photographer Elbank.
She will now appear in his "How do you C Me Now" exhibition in March, which celebrates the lives affected by the condition and is set to travel the world.
The youngster, from Beccles, Norfolk, was born with CMN which appears in less than one in 20,000 newborns in the UK.
However, Rosabella is particularly unique as her birthmark's placement and composition are both very rare.
Image by: Adam Harnett
Image by: Adam Harnett
Her mother, Chantelle Harrison, 29, said: "It's incredibly rare. People normally have the birthmarks somewhere on their body but not normally on the face.
"We're just little people - things like this don't normally happen to us. But Rosabella loves it - any excuse to be in the lime light. It's lovely."
The condition is not just cosmetic and also poses the risk of future neurological problems and melanoma.d Rosabella returns to hospital once a year for tests.
Elbank partnered with CMN - the only UK charity dedicated to those affected by the condition - to celebrate beauty that is more than skin deep.
The London-based fashion photographer is best known for his captivating series of 150 portraits of individuals with freckles - which captured their beauty and uniqueness.
His latest exhibition uses images of adults and children of all ages affected by CMN, representing 13 countries from five continents.
The exhibition title encourages the audience to consider their current perceptions of individuals affected by a visible difference.
The "How Do you C Me Now" exhibition will open at Oxo Tower Wharf on London’s South Bank on March 14 for two weeks before travelling around the world.
Speaking about Elbank, Chantelle said: "He's absolutely fantastic. He really makes you feel at home. We had breakfast made for us.
"He managed to get what we wanted and what he wanted. He really captured her personality."
Rosabella's mother also praised Lowestoft’s Picture Studios who took the original press shots for the charity and have been a great support for the family.
Image by: Adam Harnett
Image by: Adam Harnett
A Caring Matters Now spokesman said: "The aim of the exhibition series is to give a clear message to the world – love the skin you are in.
"We want this beautiful series of images to reduce the public’s negative perceptions of visible differences."
Rosabella, who lives on a farm with her mum, is also an accomplished horse rider and is part of the dressage and show jumping team at her school - and has her own pony, Rosie.
Chantelle said: "Rosabella has been riding all her life because we live on a farm and she is part of the dressage team at school.
"She has only just turned seven and that is a massive achievement for her.
"She was part of the Beccles Royales Gymnastic Club too and plays piano, guitar and ukulele.
"She just wants to try anything that is going on - she is so fearless and is just good at everything she turns her hand to.
"She is going to do an amazing things."
WATCH: Two adrenaline junkies cheat death climbing 784ft London skyscraper
Video by: Syed Bukhari 
Image by: Syed Bukhari
This is the heart-stopping moment two adrenaline junkies climb a 784ft skyscraper above Canary Wharf without safety ropes.
Syed Bukhari, 21, and Owen Reece, 18, scaled the Landmark Pinnacle building, which is set to become the tallest residential building in Europe when completed.
They raced up 75 flights of stairs before walking out to the end of a crane on Saturday afternoon.
After a 20 minute walk the pair can be seen balancing on the end of a crane with their arms in the air, while taking in the view of the City of London.
Syed, who runs dozens of similar urban explorer videos on YouTube channel SyedSB TV, said: “We chose that one because it’s one of the tallest buildings in London.
“The hardest thing is climbing up as your hands start to become tired.
“We stayed up there for an hour taking pictures as the view is one of the best things about doing it.
“People might slate us for doing it but I would just say to them 'you only live once'.
“We’re not playing another person’s life, only ours.
“We don’t want to be restrained and only do things ordinary people can do. We want to push ourselves.
“Anyone who does this sort of thing knows the risks so we know what we are getting ourselves into.”
Owen said: “We were there for a few hours waiting for the workers to go home
“Because it was rainy there were times when I thought ‘Yo this is sketchy to get down’.
“But we had to focus.
“I don’t really get nervous as I’ve been doing this for three years.
“We don’t really joke about.
“When we got to the top the view was incredible.
“We could see the whole of London.
“We could see so much the landscape started to look a bit round.
“I’d love to do something like the Eiffel Tower but we’ve got a few more in the pipeline.”
Image by: Syed Bukhari
The 16-year-old boy convicted of raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail was named in court as Aaron Campbell
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
The 16-year-old boy convicted of raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail was named in court as Aaron Campbell.
The depraved teen was given anonymity throughout his trial at the High Court in Glasgow, due to his age.
Scotland gives people under the age of 18 statutory anonymity under Section 47 of the Criminal procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.
But a judge can be requested to lift the ban, if it is considered to be in the public interest, so a criminal can be named and pictured.
Campbell, from Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, was told that the rape, murder and abduction of six-year-old Alesha was among the ‘wickedest’ crimes ever heard at the High Court in Glasgow.
Judge Lord Matthews, who presided over the nine-day trial, held a hearing to decide whether anonymity should be lifted.
Campbell was present at the hearing along with dozens of reporters, and lawyers.
Before September 2015, his identity would have been known to the general public during the trial as anonymity was granted to those under the age of 16.
However, the law in Scotland changed to become aligned with the rest of the UK.
During the trial, Campbell’s identity was protected due to his age - however, he tried to pin the blame on Alesha’s father’s girlfriend, Toni-Louise McLachlan, aged 18.
Campbell cited a special defence of incrimination blaming her for Alesha’s murder.
This was cited as a public interest reason for naming him.
Public interest reasons were cited as the abhorrent nature of the crimes, in which the public will have had ‘substantial interest’, and that the prohibition on identification would end on Campbell’s 18th birthday, on May 16 2020.
It was said that due to the murder conviction, the sentence would cause him to be jailed beyond his 18th birthday, when the anonymity would end.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Crucial to the decision to name Aaron Campbell was the accusations he made against Toni-Louise McLachlan, aged 18.
Representing Scots media organisations urging Lord Matthews to lift the ban, Anthony Graham QC told the court that the allegations Campbell made against Ms McLachlan was a ‘substantial attempt to pervert the course of justice’.
Mr Graham said: “The incriminee enjoyed no statutory protection and was named and photographed and had her photographs published.
“He has introduced the issue of sexual involvement with the incriminee.
“By the very nature of that defence and by finding him party to that defence, the pannel has introduced to the trial adult themes.”
No appeal was lodged by Campbell’s defence, Brian McConnachie QC.
But the brief told the court that Campbell was ‘at risk of attack’.
Mr McConnachie said: “There was a history of self-harm, of anxiety and he had been tested for ADHD and was awaiting further testing due at the time of his arrest.
“As far as he’s concerned, there’s issues both with attack from others and the potential matter of self-harm.
“The onus is on the party seeking to have the prohibition lifted and to satisfy the court.”
Media lawyer Mr Graham said: “It’s naive to think he remains anonymous on Bute, a community in no little part affected by this.”
And he said Campbell would be locked up at HMYOI Polmont in Falkirk until he was 21.
Judge Lord Matthews told the court: “Children don’t usually commit offences of this nature.”
Mr Graham concurred and said: “It’s unusual for a child to be convicted of murder.”
He urged for Campbell’s name, his address, his images, school and ‘such background which is not protected otherwise’ should be allowed to be published.
Granting the application, Lord Matthews said: “I intend to name the accused.”
Image by: Jon Mills
In a closing speech, advocate depute Iain McSporran QC described a “mountain of evidence” against the accused, and said there was not a “solitary piece of evidence” against Toni McLachlan.
A charge of defeating the ends of justice was dropped by the prosecution.
Mr McSporran told the jury: “You have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.
“What does your common sense and experience of life tell you?
“There is so much evidence in this case that there is only one true verdict - of guilty.
“You must set aside any prejudices or feelings you may have.
“You must not be swayed or affected by the emotion of this case.
“I don’t intend to show any more images I believe there’s been shown enough.
“This must be one of the very worst cases for a jury to have to come and sit in.
“The absence of his DNA in Alesha’s bedroom is essentially neutral.
“The evidence proves the accused removed her from her house and raped her.
“If you look at the injuries caused to her it was obvious the injuries were caused in the same way.”
When Mr McSporran described details from the pathology report on Alesha MacPhail’s body, the girl’s mother Georgina Lochrane left the courtroom.
Mr McSporran said: “The fact of the matter is she [Alesha] left that house without anyone hearing.
“She had never even left the house before on her own.
“During the night whoever took her was able to do it without anyone in the house hearing.
“The pathologist showed her nose and mouth could’ve been clearly covered without her making a sound.
“He saw she was taken by someone strong enough to carry her, that someone being [the accused].
“It is very odd someone is abducted, raped and murdered after someone is seen walking along that shoreline.
“The Crown position isn’t that he was smoking, chatting and having sex with Toni McLachlan but abducting Alesha MacPhail.”
Describing the accused as a “confident young man”, Mr McSporran said he had told the police officers who interviewed him ‘a pack of lies’ and ‘spun them a yarn’ after his mother left the room.
Regarding allegations from the accused of Ms McLachlan “fantasising” about killing Alesha, Mr McSporran said: “Nowhere else in this case is there evidence about someone fantasising about killing anyone.
“He introduced that to the case.”
The prosecutor described the “emotional turmoil” the island was in around the time of Alesha’s death, where a young girl was found dead “in the worst circumstances”.
Mr McSporran said: “As the trial progressed it became clearer only one of two people could’ve been responsible for Alesha’s murder, [the accused] or Toni McLachlan.”
He noted that accusations against Toni were introduced by the accused, and no one else.
The brief said: “What a risk to go out an rendezvous with a man who’s not your boyfriend.
“Is that not a risk beyond worth taking?
“To return to the house wearing a stranger’s hoodie, smelling of smoke and carrying a used condom.
“There’s not one single solitary piece of evidence.”
Citing evidence against the accused, he referenced a knife from the boy’s house and clothing found on a beach, the traces of DNA and clothing fibres discovered, and the “lies” the accused told to his mother and the police.
In his closing words Mr McSporran said there was no evidence implicating Toni McLachlan, while there was “a mountain of evidence” against the accused.
Image by: Jon Mills
Defence brief Brian McConnachie QC urged the jury to acquit the teen - telling them the 16-year-old accused ‘did not have to prove’ that Toni McLachlan was responsible for the murder.
Mr McConnachie said: “You can’t let emotion get in the way, you will have to act like judges.
“It’s entirely a matter for you.
“The prosecution don’t just need to prove their case but they need to prove it to a particular standard - beyond a reasonable doubt.
“One of the things you need to understand is it’s not for the accused to prove Toni McLachlan done this - it’s not a who done it.
“You might believe Toni was involved or you might have a doubt.”
He questioned why Alesha did not scream when she was taken from her bedroom.
Mr McConnachie said: “This is a girl who would scream if somebody came into her room.
“The prosecution claim he took her out of the house, down all of the stairs then out of the property without her making a sound or him making a sound.”
Asking them to consider DNA evidence, he said: “The Crown understandably makes something of that.
“When the police comes round and he [the accused] gives his statement he gives them the DNA quite willingly and quite happily.”
And Mr McConnachie referred to a Facebook conversation when the accused and a pal were both aged 14, and discussed killing.
He added: “There are elements of this case where the crown are trying too hard to make something of nothing.”
He described the conversation as “just rubbish” and “teenage fantasy”.
Mr McConnnachie described the Snapchat video showing the teen ‘claiming to have found who done it’ as ‘bad taste’.
He said: “There’s no doubt it was in bad taste.”
And he said DNA and fibre sample evidence connecting the accused to the murder was ‘irrelevent’ due to the possibility of secondary transfer.
Mr McConnachie said: “The verdict has to be one of acquittal.”
The trial has been adjourned until tomorrow when Lord Matthews will direct the jury.
Military flypast held in honour of ten airmen and a British 82-year-old who blames himself for their deaths 75 years ago
Image by: Simon Galloway 
Image by: Simon Galloway
A military flypast was held today in honour of ten airmen and an 82-year-old who blames himself for their deaths 75 years ago.
Tony Foulds was just eight years old when he and a group of friends spotted a B-17 Flying Fortress.
The American plane known as 'Mi Amigo' was returning from a planned bombing raid over Europe after being attacked by the Luftwaffe.
Tony and his pals waved at the plane unaware it was going to try and make an emergency landing in the field they were standing in at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield.
Instead the plane and its crew steered away from them and crashed into trees - killing everyone on board.
Grandfather-of-four Tony has blamed himself for their deaths ever since and spent several decades tending a memorial to the brave crew.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The 10 men killed in the crash:
Pilot Lt John Kriegshauser, pilot from Missouri
2nd Lt Lyle Curtis, co-pilot from Idaho
2nd Lt John Humphrey, navigator from Illinois
Melchor Hernandez, bombardier from California
Harry Estabrooks, engineer and gunner from Kansas
Charles Tuttle, gunner from Kentucky
Robert Mayfield, radio operator from Illinois
Vito Ambrosio, gunner from New York
Malcolm Williams, gunner from Oklahoma
Maurice Robbins, gunner from Texas
The list of aircraft taking part in Mi Amigo memorial flypast over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield:
Mi Amigo
KC -135 Stratotanker
Typhoons x2
CV-22 Osprey
F-15 Eagle x4
Dakota
MC-130
F-15s
RAF firepower
MC-130
B-17 Flying Fortress
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
But after Tony asked for a flypast for them on the 75th anniversary of the deaths a campaign was launched and his wish came true - with him as the guest of honour.
An emotional Tony speaking on BBC breakfast said: “I have had a guilty conscience all my life, the guilt has grown more and more over the years.
“The men that saved my life they’re my family, they didn’t know who anyone of us on the field that day but they chose to save our lives over their own.
“This fly-past is not about me, this is about those brave men who saved my life. I’ll never stop visiting the memorial.”
Mr Foulds said he and the other children were in the park on February 22, 1944 because boys from two rival junior schools were fighting.
Tony was spotted earlier this year by Dan Walker, BBC presenter who was walking his dog through the park spotted the pensioner caring for the memorial.
Dan shared their exchange online and it instantly won the heart of the nation.
A social media-led subsequently went viral and a fly-past which had been a life-long dream of Tony’s was successfully organised along with new steps and a flagpole for the crash memorial.
Today, thousands of people along with two relatives of the crew members who tragically died 75-years-ago, attended the fly-past involving military aircraft from Britain and the United States.
Crews set off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, which is home to the largest US Air Force base in the UK.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Seven-year-old wows crowd with rendition of ‘This Is Me’ - in sign language
Video by: Michael Deegan
This adorable seven-year-old girl has become an internet sensation after wowing a crowd with a rendition of the song ‘This Is Me’ - in sign language.
Jessica Deegan’s dad Michael posted a video of her performing the song on Twitter, which has attracted over 240,000 views.
The youngster performed the song from the film The Greatest Showman at a talent show last Saturday and won a prize in her category.
Jessica, who is not deaf and has been learning sign at school, entered the open category of Next Step's Got Talent competition in her home of Livingston, West Lothian.
Proud dad Michael Deegan, 28, posted the clip of his daughter on Twitter and received more than 1,700 retweets and 14,000 likes.
Michael said: "It was a local dance group she goes to and they put on a talent show for the kids.
“Jessica chose to go into the open category to do sign language - she had learned it in school and really enjoys it.
“She cares for everyone and wanted to involve something that includes other people and lets others enjoy something different."
On the day, dad of two Michael attended the show with his parents Rose, 55, and Phil, 68, and Jessica's little brother Kobin, aged four.
Michael claimed Jessica was "really confident" and couldn't wait to perform her act which she had been practicising for weeks ahead of the event.
He said: “She had been practising for a couple of weeks before she had to put her entry in.
"She was really confident with no nerves and looked forward to it.
“Her family that went along knew what was happening but apart from that no one else knew.
“Not many people knew what was going on."
Image by: Michael Deegan
The amazing performance received a standing ovation and even moved a judge to tears.
Dad Michael said: “Everyone was getting drawn into it and emotionally attached to it - the place went silent.
“She only had a minute and a half then everybody jumped up in a roar.
“One of the judges said it brought tears to their eyes while watching it.
"She’s had a lot of support and messages since."
Michael, a customer resolution analyst, hopes his daughter will continue to learn sign language, which he believes could benefit her further down the line.
He said: “I’m hoping she does keep it up, she’s enjoying it and I’m hoping the school continue to offer it.
"But if they don't then I will speak to her and if she wants to continue it I will try and find her a tutor.
“I know myself it would be something very useful for her going into a working environment."
Michael said the response from family, friends and online has been "overwhelming".
He said: “Everybody’s over the moon with her and I still can't find the words with how proud I am with her.
“Everybody said it was so good.
“It’s overwhelming for us, never mind Jessica."
He added: "She likes to play with everybody and include others in the group - it shows everyone how much of a caring child she is.”
Image by: Michael Deegan
