Here’s another week’s worth of stories I wrote for the Daily Star. Some of these were on the main news desks so I got to cover interesting topics like crime and the royals.
Ex-marine who smuggled cocaine in Lego boxes boasted about becoming ‘multimillionaire’
Liverpool Crown Court heard about Jack Jones and his fellow former commando Issac Rasmussen’s conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and cannabis into and across the UK
Link here
Man high on monkey dust took own life video calling ex to say ‘I can’t live without you’
It was revealed that John Bentley had been struggling with mental health problems since the death of his dad at the age of 10. Morphine and heroin were found in his system, along with monkey dust
Link here
Mum disgusted after being served ‘raw meat’ burger at upmarket pub for £13.50
The unnamed mum also claims that bar staff at The Triton Inn in Brantingham near Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, did not apologise to her for the state of the meal
Link here
Paedophiles may have ‘danger stamps’ marked on driving license and passport
This change would alert authorities when pedophiles change their names. It is supported by Labour MP Sarah Champion, who wants all of Britain’s 100,000 registered sex offenders to be marked this way
Link here
Grave dubbed ‘sexiest tomb in the cemetery’ turned into symbol of love and fertility
The grave of Victor Noir, an apprentice journalist from 1870, has become a symbol of love and fertility in Paris since his death
Link here
Incredible lighthouses you can stay at – ex-pirates’ lair to Doctor Who ‘Tardis’
These decommissioned lighthouses across the UK now serve as hotels for a unqiue staycation experience – some have featured on TV shows, including Doctor Who and Channel 4’s Homes By The Sea
Link here
Busted: Myths about wills people believe – including your debts dying with you
Making a will can give you peace of mind knowing your affairs will be in order, you will also be sure that your family or those who are important to you will be taken care of
Link here
Love Island in numbers – winning couples, prize money and complaints
Love Island 2021 starts on June 28 and fans can’t wait! Six million viewers watched the 2019 launch episode – the highest ever – but will this year’s top it?
Link here
Jaws superfan buried under ‘utterly brilliant’ great white shark tombstone
Korean War veteran Lester C. Madden’s grave at Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, attracts a lot of buzz thanks to its quirky shark design – his favourite movie was Jaws
Link here
Boffin’s clever temperature trick that will come in handy when you’re on holiday
Super cool Oxford boffin Dr Tom Crawford has shared his quick and easy method so you can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa – and people are loving it
Link here
Woman’s grim reasons for not using hot tubs – and it might make you think twice too
Writer Susan Griffin gives a solid argument about why she thinks hot tubs are a nightmare, likening them to a ‘human soup’ or a bath with a load of random strangers
Link here
Love Island stars and their adorable dogs – including Amber Davies’ ‘son’ Oreo
Love is clearly in the air for these former Love Islanders who are head over heels with their furry friends, many have also got the TV stars through lockdown
Link here
Brit woman spots ‘fireball UFO’ racing across the sky while driving home on the A1
Vicky Borman was heading home on Wednesday evening when she spotted the fiery “pulsating” object that she said looked “like something out of a Men in Black film”
Link here
Golden retriever missing for two weeks spotted swimming in the sea having ‘lost 20lbs’
The owners were thrilled to be reunited with Chunk, their three year old golden retriever after State police troopers found him swimming in a New Jersey bay on Tuesday
Link here
Baby T-Rex among dinosaur fossils discovered in Arctic in bombshell archaeological find
A recent discovery found fossils of bones and teeth of young dinosaurs, suggesting that they may have lived in the Arctic permanently despite the region’s unforgiving climate
Link here
Snapchat paedo who ‘catfished’ young boys attacked by vigilantes who stormed his home
Matthew Atkinson, 36, “catfished” young boys using a fake profile with a attractive former coworker’s photo on the popular social media app Snapchat, a court has heard
Link here
Woman escapes car crash over 100ft cliff only to tumble another 50ft onto beach below
The driver startled beach hut owners and Torbay Council staff who were repainting beach huts when she escaped from her car, only to fall another 50 feet into the sand below
Link here
London’s best outdoor swimming pools – including one with the ‘Lido Ladies’
While Londoners can’t enjoy a dip in the Thames, they can still dive into lidos around the city and brave the cold waters under the open sky
Link here
Grieving dad sends message to dead wife’s number – and gets response
The man’s heartbreaking exchange was shared on Reddit and went viral, with other users admitting they do something similar as well
Link here
Dogs worshipped around the world from ‘master of secrets’ to one with 3 heads
From Ancient Egypt to India, Greece and Rome to Mexico, puppies Anubis the Egyptian god of the dead, and greek Cerebus have been worshipped for centuries
Link here
University Challenge star reveals he was kicked off Hinge for catfish rumours
The author and maths whizz Bobby Seagull fears he’s destined to ‘become an old bachelor with a bunch of Casio calculators, protractors and maths problems’ for company
Link here
Prehistoric human 130,000 years old and unknown to science unearthed in Israel
Nesher Ramla Homo had very large teeth and no chin, and groundbreaking findings suggest they may have interbred with modern homo sapiens tens of thousands of years ago
Link here
Brit, 20, ‘covered in blood’ after being hit by champagne bottle in Marbella sunbed row
Rojeen Imanzadeh and her friends claim they were attacked by a white couple at a pool at Spanish hotspot Nikki Beach and have accused the club of racism over their response
Link here
Woman who said she gave birth to record-breaking 10 babies wasn’t pregnant – officials
Gosiame Sithole claimed to have set a new world record for live births, but South African officials have now said they were unable to find any record of the 10 alleged babies in hospitals
Link here
Lovestruck prison officer, 28, who had inmate lover’s baby is now behind bars herself
Lucy Thornton has admitted to misconduct in a public office for having an inappropriate relationship with inmate Aaron Whittaker, with whom she had a child last year
Link here
A.L. Ashkenaz 
Leave a Reply