Pensioner left "gutted" after burglars steal navy service medals that have been in his family for three generations
Image by: TM Bristol Post
A pensioner has been left "gutted" after priceless 140-year-old navy service medals belonging to his great-great-uncle and grandfather were stolen.
Roy Bowden, 86, is descended from five generations of men who are from a navy background - and his most prized family heirlooms are service medals received by two of his relatives.
But Roy was devastated when he returned home from a week away to find that his house had been broken into and four naval service medals had been stolen.
All of his family's jewellery was also taken in last Monday's burglary when intruders ransacked his home in Nailsea, north Somerset.
Roy, who retired from the Royal Mail in 1999, said: "I'm gutted, really.
"My aunt passed down these medals to me and I really wanted to pass them on to my own children and grandchildren.
"I come from a naval background which goes back five generations. These are my grandfather and two great uncles medals that have been stolen," he added.
The burglary took place at around 6.30pm on January 20, when the thieves gained entry to Roy's home by smashing his dining room window round the back of the house.
The medals stolen were received by two of his relatives - his great great uncle Winfield, and his grandfather Henry Bowden.
They are two Victorian naval silver long service medals, one which includes "Chief Steward Winfield" engraved on the rim, and a silver china medal with "Luck now" relief bar on the ribbon which belonged to Mr Winfield.
An Egypt medal bar with "Alexandria 1881", and a George V Good Conduct and Long Service silver medal belonged to Mr Bowden.
Roy said: "The earliest medal that has been stolen dates back to the reign of George V.
"My great uncle served on the Royal Navy boats which were used to trap the U-boats during the Second World War.
"My grandfather retired from service at some point in the 1950s. He received the George V Good Conduct Medal as well as an Egypt medal bar with 'Alexandria 1881.'
"The rarest medal which has gone missing is a China War Medal which dates back to sometime during the 1880s," he added.
Roy himself is not from a military background. He started out his career as an engineer in Plymouth during the 1960s.
After 1969, Roy worked for the Royal Mail and then moved offices from Plymouth to Southampton, before moving to Bristol. He retired after 30 years service.
Image by: TM Bristol Post
Roy was away from his house for a week when the burglary took place, visiting a friend to celebrate their birthday.
He said: "I came back to my house at 3.30pm on Tuesday and found that all my family's war medals and jewellery had been stolen."
A significant amount of jewellery was also stolen from Roy's home including wedding rings, necklaces and bracelets, pearls, cufflinks and brooches.
Also stolen were an Omega watch, silver cutlery and numerous old pound and shilling notes.
Speaking of the significance of the family heirlooms, Roy said: "All the jewellery that was stolen also belonged to my family.
"It's been passed down throughout the generations.
"You just never expect something like this to ever happen to you," he added.
A witness from the scene described seeing an unknown man in the front room of the property at around 6.30pm.
Police enquiries are ongoing.
PC Emma Leadbeater said: "This is a callous offence in which an elderly man has had his home broken into and a large amount of valuable and sentimental items have been stolen from him, including his war medals.
"We are committed to tackling burglary across and Avon and Somerset.
"We will be doing all that we can to identify and apprehend the individual responsible and, where possible, return the stolen belongings."
Police are asking members of the public to keep an eye out on online selling sites for anyone selling items that match the description of the stolen belongings.
They are also appealing to anyone who works in antique shops and pawnbrokers to call the police with any relevant information.
This stunning picture sequence shows a freediver ‘hanging out’ over a huge underwater trench.
Image by: Daniel Parsons
This stunning picture sequence shows a freediver ‘hanging out’ over a huge underwater trench.
Photographer Daniel Parson, 33, took the breathtaking pictures in Barracuda Lake, Coron, Philippines.
Freedive expert and trainer Daniel photographed his students hanging from the submerged volcanic cliffs against the backdrop of an imposing abyss.
One shot even shows a male diver seemingly allow a female diver to fall into the trench below.
Daniel, from New South Wales, Australia, is the owner and Director of Freediving Central.
He said: "Freediving Central is based in Sydney, Australia, and runs courses across the continent and internationally.
"Freediving is diving to depth while holding your breath! No tanks, no breathing apparatus!
“I had the idea for these photographs for some time before my visit to Coron, however, finding the right backdrop was a challenge.
Image by: Daniel Parsons
Image by: Daniel Parsons
Image by: Daniel Parsons
“The volcanic cliffs surrounding Barracuda Lake are stunning and when you combine freedivers who can hold their breath for substantial amounts of time with such epic underwater scenery, you can create some pretty incredible shots!
“The sheer cliff faces were the perfect backdrop for a ‘cliff hanger’ scene where the freediver risks sinking into the vast nothingness if they let go.
“It was a lot trickier than it looks to get these shots just right but the photographs were a success and turned out better than I imagined!
“The visibility in the lake is endless which gives an illusion that makes the audience question whether they are in water or not.
“I was lucky I had some talented freedivers who could convey the fear of falling into the abyss and holding on for life.
”We are still not sure whether the male freediver let her go, or if her hand slipped … there were rumours at the time that their relationship was on the rocks!”
For more information visit: www.freedivingcentral.com
SILLY SAUSAGE - Woman rang cops to complain that she’d been sent three portions of saveloy and chips instead of one
Video by: Gabriella Petty
A woman rang 999 to complain that she’d been sent three portions of saveloy and chips instead of one.
It was among more than 25,000 time-wasting calls received by the Met Police in London this year.
A recording of several 999 calls where the incident being reported was far from an emergency - many of them verging on the bizarre - has been released by police chiefs.
Among the more ridiculous calls was a woman who phoned the emergency hotline to complain that she had been sent three portions of saveloy and chips from her local chippy, instead of one.
In the recording, the woman can be heard saying: “I only ordered one saveloy and chips. They have sent me three saveloy and chips.”
Other calls singled out for time-wasting by the police include a man who phoned 999 to ask what time it was, and another who called to complain that a packet of biscuits he had bought were out of date.
Officers said that the calls, as well as wasting police time and resources, potentially put Londoners in life or death situations at risk.
Between January 1 and November 30, the Met’s Command and Control call centre received well over two million calls.
Of those calls, more than 25,000 were hung up on by call handlers after being identified as a hoax.
People in non-urgent situations who need the police are encouraged to call 101, rather than 999, or tweet the Met.
Chief Superintendent David Jackson, who is in charge of call handling for the Met, said: “Although these calls can be perceived as amusing, they are actually a huge waste of the Met’s resources.
“These hoax calls block the number from other members of the public who could be calling 999 in a real emergency, keeping people in danger waiting for longer and putting lives at risk."
He added: “If you are in a situation where you need to speak to the police, please think.
“The use of the 999 system is for emergencies only and we have other channels where you can speak with us.”
Meet the baby who was so tiny when he arrived almost three months early - he was dwarfed by his TEDDY BEAR
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Meet the baby who was so tiny when he arrived almost three months early - he was dwarfed by his TEDDY BEAR.
Little Logan Teague weighed just 1lbs 8oz when he was born 11 weeks early on 30th September 2019.
His mum, Danielle Forrester, 24, and dad, Ben Teague, 24, a van driver, nestled a teddy bear beside him to comfort him whilst he was in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit at Northampton General Hospital.
The soft toy was bigger than the tiny tot, but after nine weeks in hospital, Logan battled to full health and was allowed home to Northampton, East Midlands.
Now four months old and weighing 6lbs 10oz, Logan still has the bear - affectionately named 'Ted' - which has become a firm favourite.
Mum Danielle, who works in recruitment, said: "When Logan was born we put a little teddy bear in his incubator to comfort him while he was in hospital.
"The teddy was pretty small, but Logan was so weeny, it swamped him.
"It made us realise just how tiny and fragile he was.
"He's come such a long way and is now in proportion with his little bear. It's become one of his favourite toys - he loves snuggling up with it.
"We are so proud of how far he's come."
Danielle discovered she was expecting when she was 13 weeks gone in June 2019.
She said: "I found out quite late that I was pregnant.
"I hadn't really noticed any symptoms - like morning sickness or back ache.
"But when my clothes stopped fitting me, I suddenly thought: 'I haven't had my period for a while.'
"I did three pregnancy tests which came back inconclusive.
"But when I took the next three they were all positive.
"I rang the doctors and made an appointment which confirmed I was having a baby - by which point I was already 13 weeks along."
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Although the couple hadn't planned to start a family so soon, they were thrilled at the prospect of becoming parents.
Danielle said: "It was a bit of a shock at first. I was on the pill and we hadn't planned it.
"We had always wanted to have a baby, but thought it would be a bit later on in our lives.
"Once we got our head around the news, it was a lovely surprise."
Danielle said she had a 'textbook pregnancy' at first and felt she was 'coasting through it'.
She said: "I only had morning sickness a couple of times.
"I felt really like it was an easy, textbook pregnancy at the beginning.
"I was sailing through.
"We found out we were having a little boy at our 20-week scan and we were both thrilled. It's just what we wanted."
Danielle's pregnancy was classed as high-risk as she had a kidney removed five years previously after the organ failed and was causing health problems for her.
She said: "As I only had one kidney, they wanted to make sure my body could cope with the pregnancy.
"I had appointments with a consultant every month to check on the baby and everything seemed fine."
At 28 weeks, in September 2019, Danielle suffered a bleed.
She said: "It was terrifying.
"We rushed straight to Northampton General Hospital.
"They didn't know what had caused it at first - they did ultrasounds to check on the baby and I was hooked up to a monitoring system.
"I was kept in hospital for a few days while doctors tried to get to the bottom of it.
"I was warned it was unlikely I'd be able to go home before I had the baby - so I thought I might be in there for a while.
"A scan showed the baby was breech and medics eventually found the bleeding had been caused by a slight tear in my placenta.
"A couple of days later, I had another big bleed and when they hooked me up to the monitor they found the baby's heart kept dipping and slowing down.
"They could see the placenta was tearing even more and told me the next day I'd need to undergo an emergency c-section.
"On the day Logan was born, when transferring from the wheelchair to the operating table, I had another big bleed which the doctors said was my placenta detaching fully.
"It meant there was a limited amount of time to get Logan out safely so it was all a bit frantic.
"I had to have an epidural injected into my spine to numb me from my boobs down, but it only numbed the right side of my body.
"The doctors became very worried and explained that they could give me the injection again to see if it numbs the left side otherwise I would have to be put to sleep which could be dangerous.
"Luckily the second lot of the epidural worked and I was completely numb.
"Logan let out a big scream when they took him out of my stomach which made both Ben and I cry - mainly tears of relief."
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Image by: Danielle Forrester
Little Logan was born on 30th September 2019 at 2.07pm weighing 1lbs 8oz - but his weight dropped to just 1lbs 6oz a couple of days after he was born.
Danielle said: "Ben was in the operating theatre with me and as soon as Logan arrived we were able to have a quick glance.
"He was popped in a sandwich bag to keep warm and was put on oxygen straight away.
"Medics brought him over so we could say 'hello' to our son, before he was whisked up to the NICU ward.
"It was so hard not being able to touch or hold him."
The new parents were able to properly meet their little boy a few hours after the birth.
Danielle said: "It was crazy when we first saw him.
"He was so tiny - you could hold him in the palm of your hand.
"We were allowed a quick cuddle then.
"My mum, Donna, 45, had bought Logan a teddy bear before he was born - whilst I was in hospital.
"I remember thinking it was so diddy.
"When Logan arrived, we decided to put it in his incubator with him to comfort him. We wanted him to have something.
"But Logan was so small the teddy swamped him."
Logan was in hospital for nine weeks, before he was strong enough to leave.
Danielle said: "We were really lucky.
"Because I'd been in hospital for a week before Logan was born, I was given steroids and magnesium to help strengthen his lungs as they weren't fully developed.
"He came off oxygen a week after he was born.
"We only had one hiccup with his breathing which was when his iron levels dropped really low and he had to go back on oxygen for a few days.
"He also had to have two blood transfusions.
"The first one was when he was two weeks old - but he wasn't strong enough for it until he had the oxygen.
"The second was when he was six weeks old.
"They were to top up his blood - because his iron was so low - to try and get him a bit stronger as, at first, he wasn't breathing for himself or feeding as much."
Danielle added: "The doctors originally said Logan would be in hospital until his due date - 16th December 2019 - or maybe even a bit longer.
"But he came home ahead of time - at the beginning of December.
"He is now four months old and weighs 6lbs 10oz.
"When I look at the teddy bear now I can't believe Logan was ever smaller than it. It's one of his favourite toys.
"We are so proud of him and how far he has come."
This is the heart pounding footage that shows a troop of daredevils launching themselves across an 80 METER Canyon on a gigantic catapult!
Image by: Domen Rozman
This is the heart pounding footage showing a troop of daredevils launching themselves across an 80 METER canyon - on a giant zipwire.
The world-famous acrobats are seen riding the so-called 'Y Zipline' in an insane adrenaline-fuelled experience.
Dunking Devils took a different spin on the traditional zipline, a popular activity among adrenaline lovers.
The main difference between the traditional zipline and Y Zipline is the fact that the latter is instead of 1 made of 3 cables in the shape of letter Y.
Whereas the traditional zipline takes you from point A to B down a straight line, the ride down the Y Zipline ends at the junction of all three branches. The impact with the knot then generates enough force and momentum to catapult you high in the air!
DD Squad often travel to different locations to film their episodes, but this time, they found the perfect spot just 20 minutes from one of Europe’s greenest capitals - Ljubljana.
Image by: Domen Rozman
Image by: Domen Rozman
Image by: Domen Rozman
The guys from DD Squad had caught wind of epic cliffs at Lake Trboje a while ago, so they decided to check them out and see whether they were suitable for cliff diving. Luckily, the location ended up being just what they were after - the entire river canyon is lined with beautiful cliffs of up to 15 meters tall.
Matevž Pogačar, Dunking Devils acrobat and member of DD Squad, said: “The idea of turning a traditional zipline into some kind of a catapult had been in our minds for a very long time.
"I’m happy we’ve finally done it! The whole setup was quite challenging - we had absolutely no idea how the apparatus would work.
“It took us three days to set up the zipline and a lot of trial and error until everything worked just as we had imagined.
"During our 7-day zipline adventure we met some really nice locals, who encouraged us during our stunts and even lent us a helping hand with the setup.
“The whole experience was really positive, so we will definitely return to Lake Trboje!”
Video by: Domen Rozman
Baffled hairdresser films cat using bathroom toilet like a person whilst its owner gets a fresh trim
Image by: Kirstie Fraser
A stunned hairdresser filmed the bizarre moment a clever cat hopped up onto its owner's bathroom toilet and used it just like a person.
Kirstie Fraser, 32, was gobsmacked when two-year-old house cat Butch perched on the toilet seat and had a wee.
Mobile hairdresser Kirstie grabbed her phone and hit record when saw Butch use the loo rather a litter tray, like almost every other house cat.
Kirstie was washing Butch's 28-year-old owner's hair at her flat, in Aberdeen, Scotland, when he decided to nip to the loo.
The video footage shows the moment Butch perched over the toilet bowl on his back legs to have a wee.
Kirstie said: “The cat just wandered into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. The owner said it was normal and Butch does it all the time. I was really shocked and couldn’t believe it.
"I’ve never seen anything like that before. I found it very funny and pretty bizarre. It is very intelligent. I didn’t know cats could do that.”
Kirstie, from Aberdeen, revealed that Butch is a pampered house cat and does not venture outside.
He lives in a flat in central Aberdeen with his owner, who wishes to remain anonymous.
Pet owners are most commonly known to train their cats to use litter trays.
Video by: Kirstie Fraser
Easter eggs have already hit the shelves - over 100 days before they will be consumed
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Easter eggs have already hit the shelves - more than 100 days before they will be eaten.
The Co-op started displaying its range of chocolate eggs just two days after Christmas.
Several bemused shoppers said the rapid turnaround from the festive period to Easter products was 'ridiculous'.
The shelves in the Southwell Notts., and Cottingham, East Yorks., are among those now stacked with chocolate eggs, bunnies and chicks more than three months until Easter Sunday falls on April 12 next year.
Shopper, Charlotte Donnelly, 33, said: "It's like the shops are wishing our lives away.
"We had Christmas preparations from September onwards and now we're all just recovering from that we're being made to think about April already. It's ridiculous."
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Friendly looking Easter bunnies and chicks are being sold on lollies for just a pound and Lindt chocolate bunnies are going for £2.50.
But mum-of-two Samantha Tide, 45, thinks just after Christmas is the wrong time to be promoting them.
She said: "It's so frustrating to be met with all these new chocolates when you're in a shop with your kids.
"All they want are eggs or chocolate lollipops because you can't get away from them.
"I'm partial to a Cadburys Creme Egg myself but not in January when the diet starts. Give me until March or April and I'll definitely be off the wagon and ready to buy one."
Disturbing footage shows a carer slapping, pushing and dragging a vulnerable man in his own home
Image by: Simon Galloway
This is the disturbing moment a carer was caught on hidden camera slapping, pushing and dragging a vulnerable man in his own home.
Footage released by police shows Pearline Baugh, 62, carrying out a catalogue of abuse on Peter Evans, 20, who has autism, epilepsy and is unable to speak.
Baugh was jailed for four months after admitting a charge of ill-treating an individual last month.
The mum-of-four was employed as a night carer after Peter began struggling to sleep and his mum Louise Evans, 41 needed extra help.
Peter was described as “prone to fits several times a day”, and in need of “a great deal of care”, while his 11-year-old brother also has autism and epilepsy as well as ADHD.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Baugh was trusted with taking care of Peter downstairs while single mum Louise slept upstairs at the family's home in Bartley Green Birmingham.
In early 2019, Louise became suspicious Baugh was sleeping on the job and using her mobile phone too much so installed a camera in Peter’s bedroom.
But when Louise checked back over the footage, she saw the brutal treatment the carer had been subjecting Peter to.
Other recordings were said to show Baugh, of Sheldon, Birmingham pushing Peter on to his bed and bending his body in half.
Birmingham Crown Court heard when Louis confronted Naugh, she denied the accusations and was told to leave the house.
Louise handed over the video footage to officers who carried out an investigation, before Baugh was arrested and charged.
Video by: Simon Galloway
A mum who posted a two star review for a takeaway was sent a letter by the manager calling her ''pathetic'' - and saying he should have given her food to pigs
Image by: Jon Mills
A mum who posted a two star review for a takeaway was sent a letter by the manager calling her ''pathetic'' - and saying he should have given her food to pigs.
Aimee Casey, 27, posted a scathing write-up on a food ordering app after spending £14 on chicken and chips from Sam's Fried Chicken.
She described the food as "slimy" and claimed even her dog wouldn't eat it - to which the restaurant took great offence.
Aimee received a searing note from the manager three days after she left her review accusing her of having no morals - and banning her from eating there again.
The letter said: "Your comment on the review page is disgusting; you compared our food with dog food.
"You are a pathetic women you do not have moral value.
"If we had known you are such a low graded person we would not have served you, infect we would have donated your order to Pig farm so that Pig can enjoy the food better then you.
"Do not order from us again. We will make sure all other takeaways know of your low lifeless."
The letter is signed 'Sayd Ahmed, Manager'.
Student Aimee said: "I was shocked when I saw it; I thought it was going to be a voucher. It didn't make me feel great. It's very strongly worded.
"It was an honest review. That's what they are for - to let people know what the food is like.
"It's quite scary to think he has my address and he's sending letters like that. It wasn't nice. I've got a baby. It does make you wonder.
"I think it's a really abusive approach, and he really shouldn't be doing that. It's defamation of character.
"If the dog wouldn't eat it I wasn't going to. It was red in the middle. I won't be ordering from them again."
Aimee ordered from the takeaway, located in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on January 6 and posted the two-star review that evening.
The text has since been deleted, although the rating is still online.
Image by: Tom Wren SWNS
Image by: Jon Mills
Image by: Jon Mills
She wrote: "Awful food. Tasted like it had been brought from Iceland and dunked in a fryer for an hour!
"Really unsatisfied, and they gave me extra chips to try and hide the fact the rest of the food was bad.
"The chicken was slimy, and even my dog wouldn't eat it."
The restaurant also replied online, under the name 'Sam's Fried Chicken'. Their response is still available to view.
It said: "Thank you for taking time writing the review. You should have called the shop to complain before you write a very disgusting review.
"Please don’t order from us again. Thank you."
When approached about his comments, Mr Ahmed said: "She should have phoned us and said the food was not good enough, and we could have sorted something out instead.
"Putting a review is no problem, just don't compare the food for human consumption to dog food.
"We are Muslim, we respect our food, so these insults disrespected our religion."
Aimee, who is expecting her third child, added: "I'm not sure why he's saying that. I didn't know their religion when I ordered the food."
Sam's Fried Chicken is rated four out of six stars on the app, based on 58 reviews.
This is the heart stopping moment that a base jumper takes a leap of faith and skis off an Icy mountain.
Image by: Tim Howell
This is the heart-stopping moment a base jumper literally took a leap of faith - and skied off an icy mountain top.
Ex-Royal Marine Tim Howell hurtled off the slope then parasailed to make a safe landing on a frozen lake in Oeschinen Kandersteg, Switzerland.
The video, shot on January 7th 2020, also shows his good friend Maria Mcfly performing the same daring feat.
Extreme sports fanatic Tim, 28, from Martock, Somerset, said: “We set out to jump from this well photographed cliff.
"It is a very popular area for hiking and swimming in the summer.
"In winter the frozen lake is used for ice fishing and ice hockey, so new knew it would be thick enough to land on.”
“We finally found a part of the cliff that was steep enough and big enough. Landing on the lake was a really odd experience.
"We skated back to shore over big cracks in the ice.”
Video by: Tim Howell
