ROBERT Stones' luggage caught the eye of customs officials when he landed at Gatwick Airport. For the 41-year-old's cases were bulging with 18,000 cigarettes, a court was told. Yesterday, a judge was told that it was the fourth time Stones had been caught
A detective is facing jail today after leaving a man brain damaged when he felled him with a single punch. Graeme McMillan, 44, a father-of-three, was sent crashing to the ground when he sprang to the defence of his wife following a comment from a stag
Tonight's match in Middlesbrough is only the fourth time that England have played on Teesside. Chris Lloyd looks at the heroes and villians of the other three encounters England 1 - Ireland 1 February 25, 1905 Attendance: 24,000 England: Williamson (Middlesbrough
A SERIAL arsonist who wreaked havoc in a community causing £1.5m damage has been warned he is facing life behind bars. Stefan Geary, 31, destroyed two schools and a church in Jarrow, South Tyneside, in three weeks. He broke into each property and used
ENGLAND's regions are to play a key role in preparing the country for the euro following the appointment of Yorkshire Forward chairman Sir Graham Hall to a key Government committee. Sir Graham is one of four appointments to the Chancellor's Standing Committee
SUPERMARKET chain Tesco is hoping to make it big in Japan as part of its international expansion plans. The group plans to buy C Two-Network, owner of 78 convenience stores concentrated mainly in the Tokyo area, in a deal that values the retailer at £173m
FARMERS are playing a vital role in a scheme to save one of the region's most endangered species. Wildlife experts say only a handful of harvest mice colonies exist in the North-East. Northumberland farmers John and Phillip Gregory, have signed up to
A detective who left a man brain damaged when he felled him with a single punch was jailed for 15 months yesterday. Dad-of-three Graeme McMillan, 44, was sent crashing to the ground when he sprang to the defence of his wife following a comment from a
IF Sir Alex Ferguson has been a father figure to the players that have come through Manchester United's youth system, then David Beckham was always the runt of the litter. Despite his untold riches, Ferguson has never betrayed his working-class roots
ROLL UP, roll up. After the Test everyone's looking for a result, and what a result it would be if thousands flocked to the world's newest Test venue to witness cricket's seismic shift to embrace the pop culture. The Test was supposed to last five days
There's an old saying you'll know about people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing; the recent Royal Mail saga has been a perfect example. You'll have heard the story that the plan is to effectively end the use of mail trains and
William At 21 (five): SOME day my prince will come - and, if you're really lucky, he'll come two days running. You wait 21 years for a TV documentary about Prince William and, just like buses, two come along at the same time. Those crafty folk at five
FAMILIES need fathers. So why are they treated as an optional extra? Except for this weekend, of course - when sentimentality is carefully manipulated into a profit boosting exercise for card makers. And manufacturers of everything from designer watches
THE former chief executive of a North-East charity, who was heavily criticised for spending its funds on luxury hotels and first-class travel, hit back yesterday. A report from the Charity Commission said that Andrea Cook, who received the OBE for her
THREE points may have been exactly what England Under-21s boss David Platt had wished for on his birthday last night, but he will not have been happy with the way they were achieved at the Stadium of Light. Platt turned 37 yesterday and he will wake up
A fresh call has been made for North-East mine workers to be given the surplus in their pension fund. It has been estimated £3.5bn is awaiting payment into Treasury coffers - cash built up during the 1990s when the two miners' pension schemes performed
LAST week marked the annual visit to the Land of Her Fathers. Gadfly season ticket holders and those with "Cartref" on the garden gate will understand the importance of the occasion. Still more significantly, perhaps, we found ourselves staying in the
Prompted by tragedy, Francis Firebrace now wanders the world teaching about the Aboriginal way of life. John Dean talks to the storyteller about art, imagination - and Captain Cook IT was an obvious question but one worth asking all the same: how come
HUNDREDS of delegates from around the world will converge on the North-East today for the launch of an international base to tackle the impact of natural disasters or terrorist attacks. An inaugural conference of the European Telecommunications Resilience
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON last night claimed the footballing world is jealous of England's "golden boys" Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. The strikers will lead England into Euro 2004 qualifying battle against Slovakia this evening as the Riverside hosts its
MICHAEL OWEN has backed Wayne Rooney to wipe his name from the England record books - starting from tonight. Rooney would usurp Owen as the youngest player to score an England goal if he hit the target against Slovakia at the Riverside. But as Owen looked
BETTER business with countries outside the European Union helped the UK's trade deficit to narrow in April, according to figures just released. The gap between the value of imported and exported goods was a £3.1bn deficit, down from £3.4bn a month earlier
AN eight-year-old boy impaled himself on a metal gate spike when he fell off a garden wall as he played. The youngster was stuck on the railing for more than 15 minutes while firefighters cut through it with a hacksaw. He was taken to Sunderland Royal
POLICE in the region were urged last night to show greater vigilance in order to prevent further drug-related deaths in custody. A report by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) found that about a third of such deaths could have been prevented if officers
THE new president of the UK's largest chamber of commerce has pledged his commitment to improving transport in the region. Freight company owner Alan Ferguson was elected unopposed to the presidency of the North East Chamber of Commerce at Durham's Ramside
A man and his six-year-old son were killed when their horse-drawn gypsy caravan collided with a 38-tonne tanker, police said today. The father and boy, believed to be from County Durham, were on their way back from the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria when
Leaders of the region's ailing fishing industry reacted angrily last night as European ministers proposed less time at sea for their vessels. EU fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler yesterday told a meeting of Europe's fisheries ministers in Brussels
EVEN a comeback tour featuring Joe Dolce, Dollar and Milli Vanilli would not have been played out in front of so many empty seats. As befits Sunderland's home ground, the Stadium of Light was a sea of red last night. Unfortunately, the England Under-21
BRITISH Airways has signed up Australian pop star Kylie Minogue to launch its latest travel brochure. The airline will be hoping the publicity coup will bolster its bottom line at a time when budget flyers continue to dominate the market. The global spread
LATCHING onto an improving horse is a tried-and-tested formula as far as keeping one step ahead of the bookies is concerned. For such individuals, punters normally turn to the likes of Messrs Johnston and Easterby to provide the ammunition. But it is
A MAN involved in the killing of a market trader during an orgy of violence has been jailed for 18 years. Jonathan Crossling, 37, was locked up after he admitted to the manslaughter of Kavant Singh as well as four charges of grievous bodily harm with
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON last night warned England that Middlesbrough's Szilard Nemeth wants to give the performance of his life to scupper their Euro 2004 hopes. Nemeth, 25, scored against England last October and is desperate to win his battle with Gareth
ENGLAND FOOTBALLERS: I HAPPENED to be at Redworth Hall on Monday at around midday, and saw a group of about 12 England supporters, obviously waiting for the team coach to arrive with pens at the ready for autographs. They were very orderly, and were overseen
A doctor raising money to buy insulin pumps for children with diabetes is hoping to set up a service for the whole of the North-East. Dr Bill Lamb, consultant paediatrician at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, says he can wait no longer to provide the
Why do governments treat their citizens as cretins? Come on, Tony, your Government is tops when it comes to casting us, the people, as idiots. So share the secret with us. Let's take this euro business. We all know that the only reason there won't be
IMMIGRATION officials in the US are preparing to deport a North-East man who sparked an FBI hunt when he went missing with his wife as they tried to patch up their troubled marriage. Teesside-born Andrew Jones has finished a 30-day prison sentence for
TWO Labour county councillors have launched a scathing attack on plans for an inflation-busting pay rise - and promised not to take their money. Durham County Councillors Phil Graham and Paul Tripett described the 13 per cent increase in allowances as
A teacher at one of Britain's top comprehensive schools has been suspended after a punch up with a pupil at end of term bash. PE teacher Les Johnson is alleged to have lashed out at a six-former after he made a stinging attack on staff members. It is
THIS is a momentous week for North-East sport. On Saturday, a gloriously sunny day at Chester-le-Street was a fitting way to end the first Test match in County Durham. England's innings victory against a poor Zimbabwe was a side issue. The political controversy
A TEENAGER who was left home alone when his parents went on holiday was arrested for a rape attack on a boy, a court was told yesterday. A jury was told that Paul Thomas, 19, invited young people to come to his Teesside home to watch television, play
ENGINES powered by cups of hot coffee and organic televisions that roll up and fit in your pocket were some areas of university research on show this week. Research teams at Durham University exhibited their work at the Elvet Riverside Building on Monday
The family of a dad left fighting for his life after a vicious beating last night pleaded for the public to help police catch the culprits. Mark Connorton, was found unconscious with severe head injuries on a Redcar street at 3am on Sunday. The 37-year-old
TWO women arrested after the hit-and-run death of a mother-of-12 have been released by police. Cleveland Police said a 22-year-old has been given bail and a 20-year-old has been freed without further action. The women were arrested on Monday following
SUNDAY morning pony and trap races on a busy main road at speeds of up to 30mph brought several 999 calls to police, a court was told yesterday Officers found a white Ford Transit van travelling in front of two pony and trap combinations racing on the
