Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Fatal crash: Car driver’s sentence enhanced to 15 years

Fatal crash: Car driver’s sentence enhanced to 15 years

A LANCASHIRE man, jailed for killing a pregnant woman in a road accident in May this year, has had his prison term increased to 15 years.

Adil Iqbal was sentenced by Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown in July to a 12-year jail term after he was found guilty of driving a speeding BMW which struck the rear of actress Frankie Jules-Hough’s car, resulting in fatal injuries to her.


But the judgment was challenged in the Appeal Court in London, with solicitor general Michael Tomlinson contending that the jail term was too lenient, considering Iqbal’s reckless driving.

Lord Justice Bean, Justice Murray and Judge Anthony Leonard heard that Iqbal, 22, was driving his vehicle dangerously at speeds of up to 123 mph as he weaved between traffic on the M66 in Bury on May 13.

He lost control of his vehicle which hit Jules-Hough’s Skoda Fabia. The woman, who had been travelling with three children, had pulled her vehicle over onto the hard shoulder to check a tyre. The collision took place when she was speaking to her family over the phone.

Jules-Hough, who had starred as Jess Holt in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, received skull and brain injuries and died two days later as she never regained her consciousness. She was 17 weeks pregnant at the time of the crash.

Two children suffered brain injuries – one had multiple skull fractures and the other had a partial collapse of the left lung and a spinal ligament injury. The third child escaped with minor injuries.

Iqbal, who was arrested at the scene of the collision, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Lord Justice Bean last Friday (13) called it “the worst case of bad driving any of us can recall”.

“We find it hard to imagine a worse case of bad driving than this one,” he said, adding that the case was exceptional.

The judges added three years to the original prison term.

More For You

Iran-Israel-war

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

India moves students to safety in Iran as Israel-Iran conflict escalates

INDIA has moved some of its citizens, including students, to safer locations in Iran following days of deadly Israeli strikes. The Indian embassy in Tehran is monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities to help Indian nationals amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

"The Indian embassy in Tehran is continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety," said a statement from the ministry of external affairs. "In some cases, students are being relocated with (the) embassy's facilitation to safer places within Iran."

Keep ReadingShow less
Minnesota Lawmaker’s Murder Suspect Caught After Two-Day Chase

Boelter was captured in Sibley County

Reuters

Minnesota lawmaker’s suspected killer arrested after massive two-day manhunt

US law enforcement officials in Minnesota caught the suspected killer of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband on Sunday, authorities said, ending a two-day manhunt.

The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, allegedly disguised himself as a police officer, then shot and killed Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their home early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chanel CEO Leena Nair Honored with CBE by Prince William at Windsor

Leena Nair honoured with CBE at Windsor Castle by Prince William

Getty Images

Leena Nair receives CBE from Prince William at Windsor Castle

Leena Nair, the India-born CEO of Chanel, was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Prince William at a ceremony held at Windsor Castle. The recognition, part of the 2025 King’s New Year Honours list, acknowledges her outstanding work in the global retail and consumer industry, particularly her strong leadership in steering one of the world’s most iconic fashion houses into a new era.

Nair’s rise to the top has been anything but conventional. When she was appointed as Chanel’s global CEO in 2022, she became the first non-white person to lead the 112-year-old French luxury brand. What made her journey even more unusual was her background, not in fashion, but in human resources. Before joining Chanel, she spent nearly 30 years at Unilever, eventually becoming its youngest-ever and first female Chief Human Resources Officer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blaise Metreweli

First-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service

Global Women Leader

Blaise Metreweli appointed as UK’s first woman to lead MI6 spy agency

The UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service as the country faces "threats on an unprecedented scale", Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday.

The MI6 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) achieved global fame through Ian Fleming's fictional agent James Bond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India crash: Victim funerals begin as probe into cause continues

Soldiers carry the coffin of Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of India's Gujarat, who was killed in the Air India flight 171 crash, during his funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Air India crash: Victim funerals begin as probe into cause continues

INDIAN health officials have begun returning bodies to families after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 270 people, but most relatives were still waiting for confirmation through DNA testing as of Monday.

Of the 279 total deaths, including casualties on the ground, 87 DNA samples have been matched and 47 bodies handed over, according to officials. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 people on board when it crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad for London, killing 241 of them. Another 29 people died on the ground, including five medical students.

Keep ReadingShow less