A FEMALE police officer beat up her mum in the back of a car after getting drunk on whisky cocktails.
PC Leanne Counter attacked her mother Julie so viciously that the car was “rocking” from side to side as they were driven along a dual carriageway.
PC Counter was so intoxicated after downing potent Fireball cocktails that she has since claimed she couldn’t remember anything about the incident.
It was only the following day when her father called at her home to rebuke her that she realised what had happened.
Counter has now been found guilty of discreditable conduct at a disciplinary panel and was today sacked by Cleveland Police.
The attack happened after a family Christmas erupted into chaos on Boxing Day 2023.
Counter had been to the pub with relatives when they went back to her sister’s home, the panel was told.
She then became so rowdy that her sister threw her out as her mother agreed to make sure she got home safely.
The pair got into a taxi but her behaviour towards her mother was so alarming the cabbie pulled into Wolviston service station, County Durham.
Mark Ley-Morgan, for Cleveland Police, said Counter had been yelling: “Some Mam you are, f*** off, you never have anything good to say about me.”
The taxi driver threatened to call the police, at which point Mrs Counter told him: “She’s in the police.”
A furious Leanne Counter yelled: “You have ruined my cover” and later called her mother a “c***.”
It was while they were abandoned at the service station that they spotted Lewis Failes and his brother-in-law, Mark, who had stopped to blow up a tyre.
Mr Failes said: “I was approached at the service station by a lady in her mid to late fifties. A younger female was shouting at her and the older woman was trying to calm her down.
“Both had been drinking but the younger woman was a lot more drunk. I recall the older woman telling her she would get into trouble if she did not calm down.
“She asked me to give her a lift because her daughter had joined the police and she wanted to get her away before she got into trouble.”
Mr Failes agreed and set off along the A19 towards Middlesbrough with his brother-in-law in the passenger seat.
But as they drove along Counter began attacking her mum.
He added: “As we were driving along I could feel the car bouncing about. She had moved across the back seat to get to her mother.
“Mark got up and climbed into the back seat. I was close to pulling over and putting them out, I had only had the car a couple of days and I did not want it getting damaged.”
Julie suffered a cut to her face, swollen left cheek bone and bruising to her forearm after being repeatedly punched by her daughter.
She told police: “I have been crying because it was my daughter who attacked me. I cannot even look at Leanne.”
Counter was arrested on suspicion of assault causing actual bodily harm although no criminal charges have yet arisen from the incident.
After her dad confronted her the next day she texted a fellow cop to say: “I am not in the good books with my family.
“If he says I hit her then I must have done.”
She admitted to police investigators that on a previous occasion she had put her father’s girlfriend in a headlock during “an altercation”.
Mr Ley-Morgan added: “She had drunk to excess and there is evidence that this is not a one off.
“She has both verbally abused and then assaulted her mother in front of members of the public. Mr Failes, his passenger and the taxi driver were all aware that she was a police officer.
“A reasonable member of the public would be concerned that an officer was unable to control their drinking and then resorts to violence when drunk.”
Paul Crowley, representing PC Counter, who attended the hearing which was held remotely via Microsoft Teams, said: “She has been consistent in her account that she does not recall the incident.
“She was upset and unreservedly apologetic when she was spoken to by her father about it.
“She is devastated and does not recognise the behaviours that have been alleged against her and has never shied away from the fact that the consumption of alcohol was a factor.
“It is completely out of character for her, she has an unblemished criminal conduct record.”
A HUGE change to parking rules has been rolled out today.
From February 17, drivers using car parks with camera technology will not be fined for failing to pay in the first five minutes of their stay.
The change comes after Rosey Hudson was charged £1,906 for taking more than five minutes to pay for her parking.
Scrapping the five-minute fine will help drivers save money, after Brits branded the old rule “ridiculous”.
Instead of paying in the first five minutes of their stay, Brits will now need to pay before leaving the car park.
This change will apply to all car parks using ANPR technology.
However, the rule change will not apply to privately run car parks without camera technology or to sites run by firms who aren’t registered with the BPA or IPC.
The rules are part of the Private Parking Code of Practice, a voluntary set of guidelines established by the BPA or IPC.
This means that private car parks can opt out of the rules and, therefore, the new change.
Finally, council-run car parks will still be able to hand out official parking fines.
Critics of the changes have said that they do not go far enough.
They have pointed to a 2019 government bill which put protections for drivers into law.
The bill introduced a grace period at the start and the end of the parking period, a cap on parking charge fees of £50 and the removal of additional debt recovery fees.
However, the bill was withdrawn in 2022 when there was a legal challenge from several parking firms.
Simon Williams, head of policy at motoring group the RAC, has called for the bill to be reinstated.
He said:”As there’s no information on how the change will work in practice, we fear it will make little difference to drivers.
“It’s also important to realise this is the industry’s own code, not the Government-backed Private Parking Code of Practice, which was enabled by an Act of Parliament in 2019 yet has never come into force due to a legal challenge.
“We want to see the statutory code in operation as soon as possible.”
The controversy around he five-minute charge comes after Southampton City Council scrapped plans for free parking in 17 sites.
It is hoped that extending the charging period in Southampton from 8am-6pm to 8am-8pm will raise £500,000.
FREE cash is up for grabs for both new and existing customers by making one simple switch.
The £175 could be banked by anyone willing to switch their current account but they will need to be quick as the offer ends in just weeks.
Lloyds Bank is offering the cash to punters who switch from another bank to a Club Lloyds account.
If they do so from tomorrow until April 1, they can scoop the cash which will be wired to your account within 72 hours.
As well as the cash, new customers will also benefit from a handful of other welcome perks.
These include a 12-month subscription to Disney+, or a choice of six Vue or Odeon cinema tickets, a magazine subscription, or a digital Coffee Club and Gourmet Society membership.
The former would otherwise set customers back £60 a year.
Meanwhile, cinema stubs can be expensive too, with movie fans forking out between £5.99 and £13.99 depending on the ticket and location.
There is also the possibility of earning up to £90 in credit interest each year.
Lloyds pays 1.5 per cent on anything up to £4,000 and then pays 3 per cent on balances between £4,000 and £5,000.
At the moment there’s a monthly fee of £3, but this is waived if you deposit £2,000 or more into the account each month.
However, from June 2, this fee will rise to £5 per month, potentially adding up to £24 more per year for those who do not meet the £2,000 monthly deposit requirement.
“Customers can also take advantage of Everyday Offers, providing cashback when shopping at select retailers and it’s easy to sign up to Save the Change when using a debit card,” the bank said.
“The service works by rounding the spend to the nearest pound and transferring the change to a nominated savings account.
“The Lloyds app also makes everyday banking on the go easy – customers can access a range of features including card controls, subscription management and checking credit health, with the app using the latest tech to keep customers and their money safe.”
Andrew Hagger, a personal finance expert at Moneycomms added: “On the face of it, the list of benefits looks impressive.
“As long as you meet the £2,000 monthly income criteria to avoid the £5 monthly fee, then it looks a decent deal.
“The Club Lloyds Platinum and Club Lloyds Silver are packaged bank accounts and come with monthly fees of £22.50 and £11.50 respectively – just make sure you’ll make good use of the benefits on offer with these accounts otherwise it may not work out good value.
SWITCHING bank accounts is a simple process and can usually be done through the Current Account Switch Service (CASS).
Dozens of high street banks and building societies are signed up – there’s a full list on CASS’ website.
Under the switching service, swapping banks should take seven working days.
You don’t have to remember to move direct debits across when moving, as this is done for you.
All you have to do is apply for the new account you want, and the new bank will tell your existing one you’re moving.
There are a few things you can do before switching though, including choosing your switch date and transferring any old bank statements to your new account.
You should get in touch with your existing bank for any old statements.
When switching current accounts, consider what other perks might come with joining a specific bank or building society.
Some banks offer 0% overdrafts up to a certain limit, and others might offer better rates on savings accounts.
And some banks offer free travel or mobile phone insurance with their current accounts – but these accounts might come with a monthly fee.
“If you’re someone who goes overdrawn from time to time you may be better off looking at First Direct – also offering £175 switch incentive and 7 per cent regular saver.
“With First Direct the first £250 in overdraft is interest free whereas Lloyds charges up to 49.9 per cent depending on your credit record.”
Banks often offer incentives to attract new customers, usually in the form of a cash bonus.
And it’s not the only one offering a bonus right now.
First Direct is also offering a £175 welcome bonus to new customers for example.
Nationwide has a £175 offer and TSB is giving out £100.
Santander was offering £150, but that has now ended.
Deals like this come and go regularly so its worth moving quickly if you think it’s for you, as they can be pulled at any time.
BUNGLING air stewardesses opened an emergency exit to take selfies whilst standing on an aeroplane’s wing.
Images show the three uniformed stewardesses climbing out onto the left wing of the Boeing 737 to pose for snaps, seemingly unaware that they are being caught committing an offence.
The incident, which took place on February 12 when Eastar Jet Flight 703 was delayed by over an hour, is being investigated by the airline.
The delays were due to four centimetres of snow covering and closing the runway at Cheongju International Airport in South Korea.
The flight was headed for Jeju Island, about an hour away.
Since Cheongju Airport is classed as a military facility, photography – including selfies – and videography are strictly prohibited.
Those caught taking pictures or filming face up to three years in prison or fines of up to £16,500.
Eastar Jet has since stated that the emergency doors were not opened specifically to take photos.
The budget airline said that the crew had been instructed to open the door as part of training.
An Eastar spokesperson said: “The airline took advantage of the waiting time caused by heavy snow and conducted an emergency exit training that is normally difficult to carry out.”
The airline, headquartered in Seoul, did however acknowledge that the actions of the stewardesses were inappropriate and said that they were investigating.
In November, a passenger from hell attempted to open an emergency exit whilst mid-flight.
Shocking footage showed a man being restrained by other terrified passengers after he attempted to exit the plane as it was in the air 30 minutes before landing.
The Copa Airlines flight CM204 was heading from Brasilia, Brazil to Panama City, Panama.
In January 2024, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 returned to Portland, Oregon in the U.S. for an emergency landing after a door plug blew out, causing an uncontrolled decompression.
All 177 passengers and crew on board survived.
And in 2020, a plane door suddenly opened during landing on Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK631 from Islamabad to Sukkur.
JAKE PAUL has taken the boxing world by storm after literally transforming into a heavyweight star in just a few years.
The social media motormouth began his journey in the sport in 2018 in a white-collar match against English YouTuber Deji Olatunji.
In 2020, he competed in his first professional fight against AnEsonGib.
While the only blemish on his record is defeat to Tommy Fury in 2023.
Last year, he fought Mike Tyson that streamed live on Netflix to 100million viewers – winning by a unanimous decision.
It means he boasts a very credible 11-1 record since he began his journey.
The Jake that started this quest has also undergone an incredible body transformation.
From skinny YouTuber to a heavyweight Goliath, here’s how Paul has changed through the years.
In 2018, Paul defeated fellow influencer and KSI’s brother Olatunji by technical knockout in the 5th round.
But, he cut a far leaner figure then.
The 6ft 1in fighter reportedly weighed in at around 181 pounds – and was a lean, mean, fighting machine.
That fight in Manchester was the lowest he’s ever weighed.
Two years later, Paul returned to the ring for his first pro fight against AnEsonGib.
It was a cruiserweight contest, and the American made light work of the friend of the Sidemen – knocking him out in round one in Miami, Florida.
It was a bout that lasted barely two minutes.
Incredibly, Paul had put on nearly 10 pounds more of muscle – and the picture difference is very evident. He clocked in at 190 pounds.
For his bouts against Tyron Woodley in 2021, Paul kept his weight to that same level he fought AnEsonGib with.
Again, he was around the 190 pound mark – slightly heavier than the former UFC champion.
Paul was bigger and better than his opponent, utilising his power to beat Woodley twice.
Their first fight came to a split decision, while the second was a 6th round knockout.
Looking for more agility against Anderson Silva, Paul actually dropped some pounds.
He came down to around 186 pounds, the same as Silva – surely with the belief it would give him more speed.
And he wasn’t wrong, either.
Paul outboxed his rival – winning by unanimous decision.
Although he cut a leaner figure, he was certainly as ripped as ever in 2022.
Astonishingly, Paul came down more for his next fight against Tommy Fury in 2023, when it seemed possible he would bulk up.
He was nearer the fighting weight from his debut all the way back in 2018 – this time tipping the scales at around 183 pounds.
Again, he was hoping for a more mobile body shape to help him deal with Fury’s speed.
It was his first and only loss, by split decision, and it encouraged him to beef up again.
Certainly, Paul was already reaping the benefits of regular gym work in 2023.
At this point he was all muscle, and ahead of the taunting of UFC legend Nate Diaz was expected to come in heavier than the MMA fighter.
And needless to say he did, weighing in at 185 pounds – although he needed to use a towel to make weight.
Diaz weighed exactly the same, which was as heavy as he’s ever been before a fight.
Paul was the victor by unanimous decision after 10 hard-fought rounds.
In 2023, The Problem Child hit a career-high weight before taking on Ryan Bourland.
The bout took place in Puerto Rico and lasted just the one round.
No surprises that TKO’d his opponent in the opener, given his whopping weight.
Weighing at almost 200 pounds, he had plenty of might behind him with every punch.
Extensive gym work and a high-protein diet helped him bulk up for the occasion.
Last time out, Paul fought Mike Tyson in an epic event on Netflix.
He made short work of the much-older competitor, however it did go the distance.
Paul was declared victor by unanimous decision back in November.
But what was more impressive was his gargantuan size.
Incredibly, he came in at 227 pounds – which piuts him safely in the heavyweight category.
That means from 2018 to today, Paul’s had a weight swing of 45 pounds.
And doesn’t he look well for it?
Kendrick Perkins is the newest member of the LeBron James, All-Star Game discussion. After James announced that he wouldn’t play in the All-Star Game, the former NBA champion went off on the Lakers guard. Much similar to what Shannon Sharpe said on his podcast, Perkins was more direct. He explained on Monday’s edition of ESPN’s […]
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The Los Angeles Angels are trying to get back into the playoffs this season, but they will need Mike Trout to get back to how he played in his prime in order to get there. Injuries have hampered the Angels star over the years, especially in the last few, but now Los Angeles is taking […]
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Virginia State University is the newest HBCU to join the list of R2-designated institutions, which includes over 130 institutions nationwide and less than 15 HBCUs. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education grants this esteemed classification to universities that produce a large number of doctorate degrees and engage in a high level of research. […]
The post Virginia State University earns prestigious HBCU designation appeared first on ClutchPoints.
NBA stars are usually dominant. As a result, it’s a no-brainer how a lot of them are easily part of the MVP conversation every year. But surprisingly, not all stars earn votes for Most Valuable Player. Here is a look at the 10 NBA Stars who never received a single MVP vote. Check out the […]
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