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Man charged with murdering nine-year-old girl in Lincolnshire | UK News

A man has been charged with murdering nine-year-old Lillia Valutyte in Lincolnshire.

Deividas Skebas, 22, was arrested by police two days after Lillia was found dead after being stabbed in Boston at about 6.20pm on Thursday.

Lincolnshire Police say the Lithuanian national, of Thorold Street, Boston, is due to appear at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, on Monday.

Officers arrested Skebas in the Central Park area of Boston at around 2.45pm on Saturday following “a combination of intelligence and information supplied by members of the public”.

Chief Superintendent Martyn Parker said: “This is a heartbreaking case that has affected many people in Boston, and further afield.

“Our thoughts continue to be with Lilia’s family at this exceptionally difficult time.

“The response to such a devastating incident has involved committing significant resources to the investigation, and engaging with people in Boston who are understandably shocked by Lilia’s death.”

Lillia had reportedly been playing with her younger sister on the street just yards away from an office where their mother was working.

The girls had a hula-hoop, and a toy pram was left at the scene, according to locals.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has described Lillia’s death as “appalling”.

Archie Battersbee set to have treatment withdrawn on Monday after life support battle | UK News

Archie Battersbee, who is on life support, is set to have treatment withdrawn at 2pm on Monday unless the government complies with an injunction from the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Barts Health NHS Trust, which is treating the 12-year-old, said in a letter to his parents that “no supplemental oxygen will be given” after the endotracheal tube of the mechanical ventilator is removed.

Archie has relied on the machine to breathe since being admitted to hospital on 7 April after being found unconscious at home by his mother.

“The time it takes for the heart to stop beating is often a matter of minutes, but in some cases, this can take longer,” the letter continued.

“A doctor will assess Archie regularly to confirm that the heart has stopped beating but with consideration of the family’s need not to have too much intrusion at such a difficult time.”

Archie’s parents Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee will be told on Monday morning how the withdrawal process is to be performed, with the aim to “preserve Archie’s dignity”, the letter read.

It went on: “You or any of the family may wish to lie on Archie’s bed with him or have him in your arms, if that should be practically possible.”

More on Archie Battersbee

A High Court judge had ruled that ending treatment is in Archie’s best interests, after reviewing evidence from clinicians and said the boy’s prognosis was “bleak”.

The family says doctors should give Archie a chance to recover and have made an application to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, citing Articles 10 and 12 of the Convention (UNCRPD) which call on nations to ensure the right to life and equal rights for disabled people.

In a letter to Ms Dance and her barrister Mr Bruno Quintavalle, the committee writes it has “requested the state party [the UK] to refrain from withdrawing life-preserving medical treatment, including medical ventilation and artificial nutrition and hydration from the alleged victim while the case is under consideration by the committee”.

Read more:
Archie Battersbee’s mother appeals for help from health secretary
Supreme Court refuses to intervene in life-support battle for brain-damaged boy

Archie's parents Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance
Image:
Archie’s parents Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance

On Saturday the government told Sky News it has received correspondence from the UN which it is carefully considering.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognise this is an exceptionally difficult time for Archie Battersbee’s family and our thoughts are with them.

“We have received the letter and will respond in due course.”

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Archie’s mother makes plea

Ms Dance told Sky News she is waiting anxiously for the British government to comply with the UN request.

Barts Health NHS Trust said delaying the start of palliative care would “not be appropriate without an order of the court.”

The family said the assertions were misleading, adding: “We as a family are very disappointed that the Trust’s management has chosen to hide behind euphemisms and to mislead the public.

“It is hard to see any reason for that behaviour except knowing that what they are doing is cruel and wrong.”

Euro 2022: ‘We don’t fear anyone’ – England aim to make football history in front of record crowd | UK News

England’s Lionesses will be aiming to make football history when they take on Germany in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley later today.

The home side, who could land their first major trophy, are underdogs – Germany have won the title eight times, as well as 21 of the 27 meetings between the two teams.

But England did triumph the last time the teams played each other in February – and since Sarina Wiegman took over as coach in September, they have played 19 games and won 17 of them.

Speaking late last night, Wiegman said that – despite the pressure – there is a sense of calm within her squad. She added: “When you reach a final, then you’re one of the best teams in the tournament. I think we have a very good team too, and we don’t fear anyone.

“I think it has been really calm around the team – I think that worked really well. So we just went back to the hotel where we are staying and did the training sessions again, did recovery there and the things we have to do to get prepared.”

When asked if the women could win and make up for the men’s team’s Euros defeat at the hands of Italy in the final last year, she said: “I don’t think we should compare men and women – it’s just one England.

“I don’t think there is any difference.”

England’s men have never won a European football championship and their last major tournament victory was the World Cup in 1966.

Regarding the German women’s team, Wiegman said: “I think at some point it might be a little physical – Germany can play very direct, physical and straightforward. That’s what we expect.”

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England manager Sarina Wiegman: ‘We don’t fear anyone’

Record crowd expected

Around 90,000 fans are expected at Wembley this evening – a record for a Euros final.

The previous record was set in 1964 at the men’s final as 79,115 fans watched Spain host the Soviet Union.

Last year’s men’s final between England and Italy at Wembley was watched by 67,000, although that crowd was smaller due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An RAF flypast is planned just before the 5pm kick-off today, led by a C-130 Hercules crewed by three women, accompanied by two Typhoon fighter jets.

Hercules captain Flight Lieutenant Lauren, who has been in the RAF for 12 years, said: “I’ve flown missions all over the world with the RAF but this will be one of the most memorable.

“It has been inspiring to watch the Lionesses progress and I will be loudly cheering them on as soon as I land back at RAF Brize Norton.”

Read more:
How Sarina Wiegman’s ruthless European style has changed England’s fortunes
Lionesses ready for ‘fairytale’ final against Germany, says captain Leah Williamson
How England’s Lionesses found the perfect blend to reach Sunday’s final

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‘The fans are going to be our twelfth man… Woman. Damn!’

‘A summer of fantastic memories’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written a letter to the England team, wishing them the best of luck.

He told them: “Your passion for the game, your tenacity in tricky spots, and above all your astounding talent on the pitch have already created a summer of fantastic memories for millions of us.

“You can see it in the sold-out stadia, in the packed fan zones, in the small children dancing wildly to Sweet Caroline and the TV viewing figures that have seen records crumbling almost as comprehensively as Sweden’s defence did in the semi-final.

“In any pride it is the Lionesses who ruthlessly hunt as a team and bring their prize back home – and I am sure that will be the case against Germany.”

And Mr Johnson wrote that – no matter the outcome – “the pitches and playgrounds and parks of this country will be filled as never before with girls and women who know beyond any shadow of a doubt that football is not just for boys, it really is for everyone”.

His message ended: “That is all down to you and what you have already achieved. And so, when the referee’s whistle blows tonight, I hope that you are every bit as proud of yourselves as England is of you.”

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said to the players: “As a parent, I know how vital it is to see strong, successful role models in sport.

“What you and your team have accomplished this summer will not just be celebrated as a great moment for English football but as one that encouraged and inspired young women like my own daughter.”

Sir Keir attended the Lionesses’ semi-final victory over Sweden on Tuesday and said it would “live long in the memory”.

He added: “It’s coming home!”

The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund accepted donation from Osama bin Laden’s family | UK News

The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund accepted a donation from Osama bin Laden’s family in 2013, it has emerged.

According to The Sunday Times, Prince Charles met with the al Qaeda founder’s half-brother Bakr in London – and allegedly agreed to accept a £1m payment.

The report claims that several of the senior royal’s closest advisers urged Charles to return the money.

Clarence House has denied that Prince Charles was personally involved, telling Sky News: “The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund has assured us that thorough due diligence was undertaken in accepting this donation.

“The decision to accept was taken by the charity’s trustees alone and any attempt to characterise it otherwise is false.”

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund added: “The donation from Sheik Bakr bin Laden in 2013 was carefully considered by PWCF trustees at the time.

“Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government. The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”

Osama bin Laden was behind the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people in the US.

The Sunday Times claims that Charles’ meeting with Bakr, the patriarch of the wealthy Saudi family, happened two years after Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan.

The newspaper reported that the donation was accepted despite the objections of advisers – one of whom said having the money “would not be good for anybody”.

The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund was founded in 1979 and awards grants to UK-registered non-profit organisations for projects in the UK, Commonwealth and other countries.

This is not the first time that PWCF’s activities have come under scrutiny.

Earlier this year, The Sunday Times reported that Prince Charles had accepted a suitcase full of cash as a charitable donation from the former prime minister of Qatar.

Three lots of money totalling €3m were handed to the prince personally between 2011 and 2015 by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

The palace has not denied that on one occasion, he presented the prince with €1m which was reportedly put into carrier bags from Fortnum & Mason, the luxury food store that has a royal charter to provide the Royal Family with groceries.

Clarence House insists all ­correct processes were followed over the donations – and a senior palace source later said Prince Charles accepting bags of cash for his charity “would not happen again”.

Earlier in July, the Charity Commission said it would be taking no further action over that donation – adding it has “no concerns” about the governance of the prince’s charity and that trustees submitted information via a serious incident report.

There was no suggestion those payments were illegal, but anti-monarchy campaign group Republic said it wrote to the Charity Commission to demand an investigation.

Euro 2022: Lionesses ready for ‘fairytale’ final against Germany, says captain Leah Williamson | UK News

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has described Sunday’s Euro 2022 final against Germany as a “fairytale fixture” and a “day of opportunity”.

Williamson appeared alongside England coach Sarina Wiegman in a news conference ahead of the final on home soil at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.

The pair shared excitement for the match which Wiegman said will be “tough” for both teams.

“I think the pressure is on both teams and we both have very good squads. I think it will be a very tight game, it will be exciting,” Wiegman added.

Victory in Sunday’s match will see the Lionesses end England’s 56-year wait for a major tournament title, something neither senior team has done since the 1966 World Cup.

Germany have won 21 of their 27 meetings against the Lionesses, including the Euro 2009 final, but England were victorious the last time they met earlier this year.

Wiegman said England have “practiced and prepared for everything”, including penalties.

The atmosphere among the England squad was described as “calm” ahead of the big day.

‘Tomorrow is one final push’

Sarina Wiegman and Leah Williamson
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Wiegman said England have ‘practiced and prepared for everything’

With 90,000 fans expected at Wembley on Sunday, Williamson emphasised the importance of interest in women’s football.

She added that it’s an “exciting thought” that the team will be playing on home soil, adding that “nobody ever has a home game without an advantage”.

Germany are looking to win the competition for a record-extending ninth time.

Speaking about the magnitude of the final, Williamson said: “This is what we all live for and this is why we all play football.”

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Lionesses train before Euro’s final

“Tomorrow is one final push to achieve what we’ve come to achieve,” she added.

When questioned about team selection, Wiegman didn’t give anything away, simply saying: “We know how strong our squad is”.

To reach the final, the Lionesses beat Spain in the quarter-finals and thrashed Sweden 4-0 at Bramall Lane in the semi-finals.

North Yorkshire car crash: Three teenage passengers killed and driver seriously injured | UK News

Three teenagers have been killed and a fourth was seriously injured in a car crash in North Yorkshire.

They were in a grey Alfa Romeo heading from Bedale towards High Burton when the vehicle crashed on Masham Road around 11pm on Friday.

A 17-year-old boy and two 18-year-old men, who were passengers, died from their injuries.

The male driver suffered serious injuries and is being treated in hospital.

No other cars are believed to have been involved.

North Yorkshire Police said: “We’re appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, saw the vehicle in the area prior to the collision or anyone with dashcam footage or other info that could help the investigation.”

Anyone with information connected to the crash can email MCIT@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two, and ask for the major collision investigation team, quoting reference number 1222013414.

British troops in ‘high-readiness exercise’ with Finnish and US forces | UK News

British troops have taken part in a joint “high-readiness exercise” alongside Finnish forces, as Finland moves closer to joining NATO.

About 150 British Army and Royal Air force personnel joined US and Finnish counterparts in the four-day Exercise Vigilant Fox, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The joint exercise comes after NATO signed an accession protocol with Finland to join the military alliance earlier this month, which began the ratification process for members.

Finland and Sweden both confirmed their intention to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month it emerged that the RAF has sent four Typhoons and two F-35Bs to Finland and Sweden for joint training exercises.

Finland signed a mutual security assurance declaration with the UK in May, and is also a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a coalition of 10 nations.

The MoD said British troops based in Estonia as part of the British Army’s Project Unified Stance were flown into Finland in Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters as part of the exercise.

Defence minister James Heappey said: “Exercise Vigilant Fox has demonstrated the strength and interoperability of our armed forces with our US and Finnish allies and reaffirms our commitment to the defence and security of the Baltic Sea region.”

Wing Commander Stephen Boyle, the UK defence attaché in Helsinki, said: “Our soldiers, sailors and aviators have received a warm welcome in Finland over the last few months.

“Exercise Vigilant Fox is the latest activity in an ongoing series of events across the domains. As Finland moves towards full NATO Membership, we will continue to seek opportunities like this to show solidarity with Finland, learn from each other and improve our ability to operate together.”

Read more: NATO’s expansion is not easing Vladimir Putin’s paranoia – and dictators cannot afford to lose

Rail strikes and traffic warnings deal double blow to summer getaways and weekend plans | UK News

Summer getaways and weekend plans could be severely disrupted today during a fresh round of rail strikes – with an “amber traffic warning” also in force on the roads.

The Aslef union says train drivers at seven rail companies are staging a 24-hour walkout in a dispute over pay, and there are fears millions of passengers could be disrupted.

Elsewhere, the AA is warning motorists there could be severe congestion on major routes between 11am and 3pm today – with the South of England set to be particularly vulnerable.

A number of factors are to blame – including the rail strikes, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the start of the Football League season in England.

Drivers are being told to prepare for stop-start traffic as the weekend gets underway, and the AA’s head of road policy Jack Cousens says the congestion will be a frustration for many.

He added: “As well as taking food and water, some form of entertainment for younger passengers might just hold off a sigh and mutterings of ‘I’m bored!’ for a while.”

Roads into the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone weren’t affected by the traffic yesterday, but National Highways says this weekend is “likely to be extremely busy”.

The UK and France have now put plans in place to prevent border chaos and “maximise passenger flows”, and weekly meetings will aim to avoid additional disruption on both sides of the Channel.

Some 140,000 passengers are expected to pass through the Port of Dover between Thursday and Sunday this week, as well as 45,000 cars and 18,000 freight vehicles.

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‘We need to remove power of militant unions’

‘More uncertainty and disruption’

The Rail Delivery Group has accused the Aslef union of timing its industrial action to coincide with major sporting events.

Today’s strike is affecting Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

Rail Delivery Group chairman Steve Montgomery said: “We’re really disappointed that the Aslef leadership has decided to impose yet more uncertainty and disruption for passengers and businesses in a week which has already seen a strike by the RMT.”

Passengers on affected routes are urged to plan ahead and check before they travel – and if trains are cancelled, travellers can change their ticket, get a refund, or use their ticket until Tuesday.

Further strikes are planned next month in the deadlocked row over pay, jobs and conditions – with Aslef’s general secretary Mick Whelan insisting industrial action is “always the last resort”.

He added: “We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, our friends and families use public transport too, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike – but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.”

Mr Whelan claimed that many Aslef members have not had a pay rise in three years – and with inflation “running at north of 10%”, these drivers have seen their pay fall in real terms.

“It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row,” he said. “Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways, with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers, and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less.”

Dover: UK-French taskforce set up to tackle travel chaos after huge queues build up at port | Politics News

A UK-French taskforce has been set up to tackle travel chaos in Kent after holidaymakers spent hours in gridlocked traffic trying to cross the Channel last weekend.

The Passenger Working Group has been established to minimise queue times and avoid further disruption for people travelling to either side of the border.

The group will meet weekly throughout the summer to avoid a repeat of scenes last Saturday, when families reported being stuck at the Port of Dover for up to 11 hours due to heavy congestion.

It follows a row over who is to blame for the huge tailbacks building up at both Dover and the Eurotunnel entrance at Folkestone, which has been dubbed the “hotspot of holiday hell”.

The UK has said there are not enough French border officers on duty to process British travellers, while the French say Brexit means passport checks take longer.

Authorities from both countries met this week to discuss the preparations being put in place to ease further disruption, which includes extra traffic enforcement to keep roads passable around Dover and Folkestone.

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Traffic leading to Port of Dover

The taskforce is part of a package of measures to ease travel disruption after the start of the summer holidays was marred by rail strikes, flight cancellations and border delays.

The AA has issued an “amber” traffic warning for this weekend – the first time it has issued the alert ahead of time.

Roads are expected to be “extremely busy” across Britain due to a combination of factors including train strikes, the start of the English Football League season, the Commonwealth Games and summer holiday getaways.

To ensure people can still easily get to the Commonwealth Games, the government said contingency measures have been put in place, including extra capacity on rail lines that are running and laying on coaches for spectators.

Ministers said flight cancellations have also recently fallen back to their 2019 levels after slot rules were relaxed to help airlines make sensible decisions about their schedule.

Read More:
People should go on holiday to Portugal to avoid queues at Dover, says minister
Liz Truss blames France for “appalling” queues

The government has faced criticism for not doing enough to get a grip on the chaos, with authorities in Kent calling for more money to handle the disruption.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and lead minister for resilience Kit Malthouse said: “I am working with ministers and officials right across government, as well as our partners and industry, to assess and mitigate any disruption, including any knock on effects from the rail strikes.

“We have already taken action, and continue to work with the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel, and the French government, National Highways, local police and the Kent Resilience Forum on minimising traffic disruption, and also with our airport operators to avoid last minute cancellations, and we will continue to take all the necessary steps to help people travel easily.”

Wagatha Christie case: Rebekah Vardy loses libel trial against Coleen Rooney | Ents & Arts News

Rebekah Vardy has lost her Wagatha Christie case against Coleen Rooney.

Vardy attempted to sue her fellow WAG for defamation, but a High Court judge has ruled that Rooney’s Instagram post outing Vardy for leaking stories to The Sun newspaper was true.

Judge Justice Steyn described Vardy’s evidence in the libel trial as “manifestly inconsistent… evasive or implausible” – while Rooney’s evidence was “honest and reliable”.

The court found that the essence of Rooney’s social media post was “substantially true” – that’s to say Vardy was responsible for leaking Rooney’s private information to the press.

In her conclusion, the judge said: “I have found that Ms Vardy was party to the disclosure to The Sun… Ms Vardy knew of and condoned this behaviour, actively engaging in it by directing Ms Watt to the private Instagram account, sending her screenshots of Ms Rooney’s posts, drawing attention to items of potential interest to the press, and answering additional queries raised by the press via Ms Watt.”

Caroline Watt was Vardy’s agent and friend, and had been implicated in the leaking of the private posts during evidence heard in court. She did not give evidence during the hearing.

Coleen Rooney / Rebekah Vardy libel trial documents
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Some of Rooney’s fake posts, shown during the trial

Speaking after the judgment, Rooney said she was “pleased” the judge had found in her favour, adding: “It was not a case I ever sought or wanted”.

Alluding to what she called a “difficult and stressful time” throughout the trial, she concluded: “Although I bear Mrs Vardy no ill-will, today’s judgment makes clear that I was right in what I said in my posts of October 2019”.

Although the judge labelled the information within Rooney’s leaked posts as “trivial”, she said the content “does not need to be confidential or important to meet the sting of the libel.”

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Cundy tried to help Vardy and Rooney

Despite the court finding that Rooney’s reveal post “was on a matter of public interest”, the judge ruled that it couldn’t be used as part of her defence because she not take “steps to put the allegation to Ms Vardy and give her an opportunity to respond”.

Addressing what was referred to during the trial as “a series of unfortunate incidents” – which involved a broken laptop, forgotten passwords and lost data – Mrs Justice Steyn said: “In my judgment, it is likely that Ms Vardy deliberately deleted her WhatsApp chat with Ms Watt, and that Ms Watt deliberately dropped her phone in the sea”.

The court praised Rooney’s evidence as “honest and reliable”, but labelled Vardy’s evidence: “manifestly inconsistent… evasive or implausible”.

The judge said: “It was evident that Ms Vardy found the process of giving evidence stressful and, at times, distressing. I bear in mind when assessing her evidence the degree of stress she was naturally feeling, given the high-profile nature of the trial, the abuse that she has suffered since the reveal post was published, and the length of time she was in the witness box.”

She added: “Nevertheless, I find that it is, unfortunately, necessary to treat Ms Vardy’s evidence with very considerable caution.

“There were many occasions when her evidence was manifestly inconsistent with the contemporaneous documentary evidence, e.g. in relation to the World Cup 2018 and the photoshopped pictures, and others where she was evasive.”

Mrs Justice Steyn continued: “Ms Vardy was generally unwilling to make factual concessions, however implausible her evidence.

“This inevitably affects my overall view of her credibility, although I have borne in mind that untruthful evidence may be given to mask guilt or to fortify innocence.”

While the judge found that Vardy had disclosed private information, she said she believed Vardy had felt “genuinely offended” by Rooney’s accusation, employing “a degree of self-deception” to minimise her role in the leak.

Coleen Rooney entertains her kids during the UEFA European Championship 2016; Rebekah Vardy sits behind her. Pic: AP
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Vardy and Rooney at Euro 2016. Pic: AP

Rooney’s friend, former WAG, Lizzie Cundy told Sky News she “wasn’t surprised” by the outcome and knew Rooney – who she described as “an honest girl” – would only have made the original reveal post if she was “100% sure it was correct”.

She said when the spat first began she’d even suggested to Rooney and Vardy that they, “Come over and have some prosecco and nuts and sort this out”, adding, “Now Rebekah will be thinking, ‘I should have listened'”.

Cundy went on: “Sadly for Becky, the evidence wasn’t there, it was at the bottom of the North Sea.”

She went on: “It’s sad it’s come this far… But it was Rebekah who wanted it to come to court”.

Vardy had sued Rooney after being publicly accused of leaking “false stories” to the media in 2019, with the high-profile trial taking place at the High Court in London in May.

The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” after claiming that three fake stories posted on her personal Instagram page – which unbeknown to Vardy at the time were shared only with her account – were passed on to The Sun newspaper.

Wayne and Coleen Rooney leave the Royal Courts Of Justice, London, as the high-profile libel battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney finally goes to trial. Picture date: Tuesday May 10, 2022.
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Rooney and husband Wayne at court in May

Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking the stories and recalled to the court how she thought she might pass out when she first heard about Rooney’s allegations – which came when she was heavily pregnant.

Later in the trial, she became upset several times while answering questions in the witness box about the online trolling she and her family received as a result of the claims.

In her judgment, the judge referred to some of the ” vile abuse” Vardy had received online – which had included a message which someone said her baby should be incinerated – she said there was no “justification or excuse… for such vitriol.”

During the case, the court also heard details of text messages she exchanged with her agent Ms Watt, which appeared to show them discussing leaking stories about other celebrities and footballers to the press.

Wayne Rooney was among the witnesses who gave evidence and supported his wife in the courtroom every day. He told the court that he was asked during Euro 2016 to have a word with Jamie Vardy to ask his wife to “calm down” as publicity grew around the tournament.

Text messages sent between the Vardys during the tournament were also released, along with the fake Instagram posts that sparked the entire trial.

In written submissions to the court, Vardy’s barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC argued that while the case had been trivialised as “WAG Wars” it had had a “very profound” impact on his client’s life, leading to “high intensity abuse and vilification”.

The 40-year-old suffered “immense distress” as a result of Rooney’s allegations and “had no choice” but to take her to court “to establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation”, Mr Tomlinson said.

Undated handout screen grab issued by Kingsley Napley of one of two posts from Coleen Rooney's private instagram made on the day of her viral public post accusing "Rebekah Vardy's account". This content has been shown as evidence at the Royal Courts Of Justice, London, in the libel proceedings between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney. Issue date: Friday May 20, 2022.

However, in the written argument for Rooney, 36, barrister David Sherborne said his client felt “absolutely confident” in the investigation she conducted to find the source of the leaks and that her “authentication was as thorough as many newsrooms”.

Read more:
Coleen Rooney’s evidence
Peter Andre speaks out
Rebekah Vardy denies leaks

Giving evidence, Rooney told the judge she had tried three times “in vain” to avoid the matter going to court.

The fake stories included Rooney travelling to Mexico for a baby “gender selection” procedure, planning a return to TV, and the basement flooding at her home.

“I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them,” Rooney wrote in the internet post that quickly went viral.

“It’s ………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

What were the key legal issues in the case?

Rebekah and Jamie Vardy at Leicester City's King Power Stadium
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Rebekah and Jamie Vardy pictured at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium in the days after the trial

A libel is a published statement which is defamatory – damaging to a person’s reputation.

Vardy said she had suffered “very serious harm to her reputation” as a result of Rooney’s allegations and therefore brought the case to court to defend herself.

Rooney defended the claim on the basis it was true and in the public interest for her to publish it. Under English defamation law it was Rooney who had to prove her post was “substantially true”.

As this was a civil case, not a criminal one, the standard of proof was “on the balance of probabilities”, or “more likely than not”, rather than “beyond reasonable doubt”.

There is an upper limit of damages in libel actions in the UK of about £300,000, with the amount awarded depending on a number of factors – including the level of reputational damage and the prevalence of the published libel. However, any damages are usually swallowed up by legal costs.

At a hearing in March 2022, it was revealed that Vardy had a costs budget of nearly £900,000, while Rooney’s costs were estimated to be about £400,000.

However, it is believed the case exceeded those budgets.