Citizens UK wants political parties to back proposals which would deliver thousands of affordable properties to ease pressure on the housing property market
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An army of community campaigners could hold the key to tackling Britain’s affordable homes crisis under a radical plan to be unveiled today.
Citizens UK wants political parties to back proposals which would deliver thousands of properties to ease pressure on the housing property market.
Not-for-profit Community Land Trusts see activists build and manage homes rented out to tenants based on local pay rates.
Organisers will today visit towns across Britain to highlight their campaign in the run-up to polling day.
Citizens Chairman Paul Regan said: “Housing is a real issue for many of our members. They are increasingly finding that they are being squeezed out of the areas they call home, and as a result families are suffering the consequences - paying exorbitant rents, being overcrowded, or losing their wider support networks of friends and relatives as they are forced to leave their neighbourhood.
“We are calling on politicians to support the development of Community Land Trusts, which can contribute to the much-needed demand for more homes.”
The Mirror revealed in December how thousands of homeless families have been forced out of their local areas and placed in temporary accommodation away from their friends.
A total of 15,260 families living in hostels or bed and breakfasts have been moved from their home neighbourhoods - a rise of 29% in just 12 months.
Figures showed 60,470 homeless households were in temporary accommodation - the highest level for five years.
And this week it emerged nearly 1,000 more Britons are sleeping rough since David Cameron came to power, with 2,744 homeless people bedding down doorways and on the streets last autumn, compared with 1,768 four years earlier.
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Rise: The amount of homeless people in Britain has risen by over 40% since Cameron came into power
Supporters believe Community Land Trusts, where members own the organisation, build and run homes, can help.
There are 170 schemes already underway, with 3,000 homes expected to be built by 2020.
But leaders believe an election commitment to back the idea could see that number treble over the next five years.
They hope to develop disused council land and derelict buildings to spruce-up communities and boost the number of homes available.
And they hope that by taking on the major house builders, they can force down the cost of living for some of Britain’s most vulnerable people who struggle with soaring rent bills.
South London volunteer Nano McCaughan said: “All too often public land gets sold off and communities are promised affordable housing as a part of the development.
“But the reality of affordable housing in these schemes means that the majority of working families are still locked out of home ownership.
“The beauty of the Community Land Trust model is that the homes remain community assets in perpetuity.
“We think councils and developers have a responsibility to think more creatively about housing, particularly considering the increasing demand and anticipated population growth.”
Three men in their 20s were caught and convicted at a Magistrates Court in Chesterfield after DNA from the badger was found on one of the men’s clothes
PA
Three heartless killers who brutally smashed an animal’s skull have become the first to be convicted using animal DNA - from a badger.
Antonio Miguel Alonso-Brown, 24, Liam Darren Swift, 20, and Nathan Swift, 24 - were caught by cops after DNA from a dead badger was found on one of the men’s bloodied clothes.
This ground-breaking move is the first time ever that badger DNA has been used to match a dead animal to its killers.
The badger slayers were stopped by police as they tried to flee the scene in the car where officers found locator collars - used to track dogs underground - as well as three shovels and six dogs.
Officers then found the dead animal close to an area of backfilled earth with its skull smashed in.
Alonso-Brown and Nathan Swift were stopped by police in a car as they tried to leave the scene, while Liam Swift was found hiding in a nearby field by cops using thermal imaging cameras on an overhead helicopter.
Blood and hair found on one of the shovels was DNA tested against a blood stained vest and found to be a match.
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Sentenced: The men had their verdicts read out at Chesterfield Magistrates Court
Jailing the men for 12-weeks at North East Derbyshire & Dales Magistrates’ Court, Chesterfield on Thursday, magistrates said the crime was serious enough to send the men to prison because they had set out to deliberately kill a badger.
All three were banned for keeping dogs for life and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 each.
Chief inspector Ian Briggs, from the RSPCA’s special operations unit, said: “This case demonstrates perfectly how modern forensic techniques can be applied to animal cruelty cases in order to catch those who might previously have evaded justice.
“By working closely with the Wildlife DNA Forensic unit at the Scottish Government’s Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) we have been able to not only catch these men, but connect them specifically to the badger they killed and use that evidence to prove the case in court.
“Using such advanced science as this in animal welfare prosecutions might have been unheard of just a few years ago but it is now a valuable tool in proving cruelty.
“This was the first time we’d worked with the Wildlife DNA Forensic unit at SASA in this way, but after it has proven such a huge success I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
The huge blast can be seen erupting from the ocean in this stunning footage
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This is the moment Royal Navy divers detonated a 1000lb Second World War bomb off the Tyneside coast.
The device was discovered by fisherman on Wednesday just before 5.30pm, as they caught the object in their nets.
The crew of were fishing around three miles off Souter Point in South Shields when they brought up the suspected bomb.
The bomb was then transported to Whitley Bay so that it could be examined but on the advice of Royal Navy bomb disposal experts, the device was lowered back onto the sea bed.
It was later detonated one-and-a-half miles away from the Whitley Bay coast, reports the Chronicle.
A spokesman for the Royal Navy said members of their northern diving group examined the device and found it posed a threat.
The shamed company has agreed £2.6m compensation over its debt collection practice – but police say there is not enough evidence to take it to court
Shamed payday lender Wonga will not face prosecution over its fake law company scandal, police said yesterday.
The firm was slammed last year for chasing debtors with threatening letters from bogus legal outfits.
But City of London Police, which began looking at the firm’s practices last summer, says it has insufficient evidence to investigate.
The decision comes despite Wonga agreeing to £2.6million compensation for 45,000 customers sent letters from fictitious law firms between 2008 and 2010.
Wonga said its focus was on “putting things right” for customers affected.
But Labour MP Stella Creasy, a leading campaigner against payday lenders, said: “The Financial Conduct Authority seems to have enough evidence to make Wonga pay compensation. Why don’t the police?”
Talks between regulators and the police began in 2012 when problems with Wonga’s debt collection practices were uncovered by the Office of Fair Trading.
At that point it was decided the OFT would continue its work, rather than the case being referred, with “the interests of the consumer being at the fore”.
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Last October, Wonga announced it was writing off the debts of 330,000 borrowers after a clampdown from City watchdogs.
The firm admitted it was kissing goodbye to £220million from people who could not afford the repayments.
Wonga chairman Andy Haste said at the time: “The need for change is real and urgent.
The loving twins say their parents would never allow them to fight eachother
Richard Williams
Two boxers drawn against each other in a qualifying round have refused to fight - because they are identical twins.
Patrick and Paul Birkenhead, both aged 15, are following the example of the Klitschko brothers, and of twins George and Henry Cooper, by making a pact never to fight in the ring.
The Kirkdale siblings were drawn to face each other in the semi final of the local Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) national qualifying rounds.
Patrick - a southpaw because he is left-handed and fights from an unorthodox stance - is the younger sibling by a minute and a former ABA junior champion.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "We're the best of friends and get on great. And of course our mum [Alice] and dad would never have let the fight take place anyway."
It has been decided instead that Paul will automatically go through to the final.
Richard Williams
Training: Boxing twins Patrick and Paul Birkenhead with head coach Mick McCallister at the Rotunda boxing club
Patrick added: "If we had fought I think Paul would have won because he is a better fighter. It's only fair that he should go through to the final because it really is his weight category.
"I only ended up in this band because I couldn't make the weight in my usual class."
Brother Paul, who is right handed and fights from an orthodox stance, strongly disagrees with his sibling's assessment.
He said: "Patrick is only saying that because of our records. We have each had 20 fights. He's won 12 and I have one more victory, there's hardly any difference. I think any fight between us would be 50-50, but we'll never know."
Both teenagers began boxing when aged nine, and stepped beneath the ropes for their first bout when they were 11 years old.
They train at Kirkdale's Rotunda Club four nights a week, with another session reserved for running. The famous boxing centre also plays a huge part in the life of the Birkenhead family of six, as 16-year-old sister Daisy is a resident coach and younger sister Peggy, nine, is a promising fighter.
Paul and Patrick attend Alsop High School where they are in the top sets in most subjects and are due to take 10/ 11 GCSE exams.
Richard Williams
Brothers: Boxing twins Patrick and Paul Birkenhead at the Rotunda boxing club
Patrick said: "If it's possible I would like to be a professional boxer.
Although if this doesn't happen I am revising hard in order that I may study medicine and become a doctor.
"The professional boxer I most admire is Manny Pacquiao. I can't wait to see the fight between him and Floyd Mayweather, it's really interesting."
While his brother Paul is also looking forward to the Pacquiao/ Mayweather confrontation, his preference is elsewhere and for more personal reasons.
He said: "The professional fighter I like is the light middleweight Saul Alvarez, who they call Canelo. This is because he is an exciting fighter, but mostly because he is a ginger like me!"
Rare Disease Day: raising awareness with testimonies from carers and patients
Two parents have spoken movingly about how being diagnosed with rare diseases changed their young daughters' lives.
Mum Michaela, from Czech Republic, talked about how her two-year-old daughter, Tereza, was only the nineteenth child in the country to be diagnosed with CDG type 1A.
The condition affects her growth and development causing problems with bones and muscles.
Michaela, and other parents, talked about their children's diseases as part of Rare Disease Day, which takes place on Saturday, February 28.
As part of the campaign to raise awareness about people living with such diseases, charity EURORDIS released the video above.
Michaela, mother of Tereza, who has CDG 1A
CDG type 1A (congenital disorder of glycosylation) is an inherited condition which affects growth and development and causes problems with bones and muscles.
Tereza, who suffers from a condition which causes problems with her bones
"Since the diagnosis, we have learned more about the disease, and how to help our little princess in her development.
"We do what we can as parents as best we can. Tereza doesn't walk yet but she makes progress every day. She is a very happy girl who understands everything that we tell her. She can't speak much yet, so sometimes she gets very angry when we don't understand her.
"We know she would like to walk and that also makes her unhappy sometimes: she can't get to where she wants to go. Even at two years old, she has a strong will and she tries to cope with everything.
"She is an incredibly friendly and empathetic little person. She loves people and is extremely curious. She is interested in everything and she likes to try new things whenever she can.
"There isn't much information in the Czech Republic on my daughter's disease. We are a bit lost and don't know what will happen or what we can expect."
Learn more about CDG and meet other people living with it here .
Parents of Raya, a toddler who suffers from Lipoprotien Lipase Deficiency
Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency affects 1 in 1,000,000 people causing high fat levels in the blood.
As Raya gets older she could put on 20g of fat per day
"We are the parents of two children. At two months Raya got really sick. She had a high fever which would not break, was vomiting a lot and she was grunting with every breath she took.
"We took Raya to accident and emergency where the doctors examined her. When a blood test was carried out, the doctors were shocked to see that her blood was not red like normal, but appeared to be a strawberry milkshake pink in colour.
"Doctors say that as Raya gets older and gains more weight she will put on 20g of fat per day.
"All in all, Raya is a very happy child with such a kind heart and a big smile. We would change that for the world! And as she grows, we will always remind her of just how special and amazing she is. And that, no matter what, she is just as important and loved as anyone else."
Learn more about Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency and meet other people living with it here .
As well as parents writing about their children's experiences, other adults shared what they suffer living with a rare disease.
Timo, a CEO, suddenly diagnosed with Aortic Dissection Type A
Aortic Dissection Type A is a rare and painful heart condition where there is a tear in the wall of the artery responsible for carrying blood out of the heart.
Timo had to have part of his aorta replaces
"Two years ago I got ill with Aortic Dissection Type A. My whole world changed that day. After open heart surgery and the replacement of part of my aorta, I gradually returned to life.
"I do not work any more. I spend my time partly in hospital on rehab training and follow-ups, and partly by trying to build a non-profit public patient association with other AD friends for people living with Aortic Dissection
"Having worked as a CEO in companies in need of a financial turnaround and as a manager in projects concerning change management, my life has included a high level of blood pressure.
"Now I can only regret that I did not visit the doctor sooner, and that I did not prioritise my health until I got ill."
Learn more about Aortic Dissection and meet other people living with it here
After managing to evade police, the bizarre getaway continued with him hiding in a man's chicken shed before making another escape
A fugitive prisoner is still on the run after fleeing from police by running over rooftops in just his underpants.
He then forced a man in his sixties to drive him across Salford, Manchester, before bundling him out of the car and speeding off.
The wanted man began his dramatic escape by fleeing from a house on the East Lancs Road in Boothstown at 9.30am today after it was raided by officers from the Serious Organised Crime Unit.
He ran across the rooftops of several houses in just his underwear before eventually taking refuge in a man's chicken shed.
After being discovered by the 63-year-old homeowner he forced him to let him into his house on Birchfield Drive where he began to threaten him.
He eventually persuaded the man to drive get into his car and drive him away from the house, the Manchester Evening News reports.
However when they got to the Walkden area of Salford, the victim was ordered out of the vehicle, a black Subaru, and the offender sped off.
The police helicopter was scrambled as part of a frantic search for the man, believed to have absconded from a prison in the region.
Meanwhile a warning was issued to local councillors and other officials about the incident.
Officers carried out searches at properties in Boothstown, Mossley Common, Walkden and Farnworth throughout yesterday afternoon.
A total of people were arrested on suspicion of harbouring a wanted individual following in connection with the incident and were held in custody for questioning. However the offender could not be located.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "The 63 year-old man was startled to find the offender, partially clothed, hiding in his chicken shed at his house.
"The offender has then gone into the victim's house where he turned aggressive and threatened the homeowner.
"Fearing he would be attacked, the man offered to drive the offender to wherever he wanted to go, which he duly did.
"When they got to the Walkden area, the victim was forced from his car, a black Subaru, and the offender drove off.
"Both the offender and the car are outstanding and inquiries are ongoing to trace both."
The 61-year-old was convicted earlier today after running into money troubles which led him to murder
VIEW GALLERY
A bigamist has been jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering his wife when his secret double life began to unravel.
French national Pierre Legris will serve a minimum of 25 years in jail after standing trail at Winchester Crown Court.
The 61-year-old, also known as Alain Baron, was convicted earlier today of killing Rui Li by hitting her over the head with a blunt implement.
He then wrapped her, while she was still alive, in a building sheet at the home they shared in Burnham Drive, Bournemouth, Dorset, on May 23 last year.
The 44-year-old Chinese national, who moved to the UK in 2004, was found in the boot of a Fiat Punto car a week later on May 30.
BNPS
Jailed: Bigamist Pierre Legris
The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, said that as well as a financial motive, Pierre Legris might have murdered Ms Li because of her decision to adopt a child.
He said: "It may equally have been the fact that Pierre Legris, as a controlling person, was not prepared to deal with the apparently late decision that Ms Li had made to adopt a child from China which would have compromised his way of living."
Before the start of the trial, Pierre Legris, who is suffering from cancer, pleaded guilty to an offence of bigamy by marrying Ms Li, a nurse, in 2007 while having been married to Irene Smith since 1987.
Jailing Pierre Legris, Judge Dingemans said: "I am sure the murder of Ms Li was planned with great care and the murder weapon must have been placed for Pierre Legris to render Ms Li unconscious and without any noise.
"There was a clear intention to kill."
PA
Victim: Rui Li
He was also sentenced to three years imprisonment to run concurrently for the bigamy offence, with no separate penalty for perverting the course of justice.
Pierre Legris, who showed no emotion when the sentence was handed out to him, had denied murder but admitted perverting the course of justice and told the court that he only moved her body after finding her dead in their home.
His son, Jonathan Legris, a former racing car driver, of Spring Road, Bournemouth, was convicted of assisting an offender by driving the Fiat Punto with Ms Li's body inside.
He was jailed for two years.
The judge said: "He was prepared to do anything for his father, that is obvious.
"My view is I still have not heard the full truth of what his father told him."
Solent
Jonathan Legris: Defendant's son arrives at Winchester Crown Court
Pierre Legris' other wife, Smith, 66, of St Clement's Road, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by providing a false alibi to her husband, who she did not know had married again, and she was also convicted of assisting an offender by hiring a storage facility to hide her husband's clothes and French passport.
She was jailed for three years on each offence to run concurrently.
Jonathan Legris and Smith were both cleared of a charge of conspiracy to murder.
The trial heard that Legris was believed to have killed Ms Li to benefit from her life insurance policy worth £300,000 to help pay off his "desperate" financial debts, including money owed to Ms Li's family in China.
The court was told that Ms Li, who drove a Porsche Boxster, also ran a massage company with her husband which provided "sexual services" and Pierre Legris would sometimes join in.
The couple were also involved in local swinging networks, the court heard.
Pierre Legris told the court that he had tried to hide his wife's body because he was worried that their unconventional sex life would be made public.
26-year-old terrorist Mohammed Emwazi has a distinct lack of online profile - did he cover his tracks before becoming an ISIS militant?
The 26-year-old IS terrorist known as 'Jihadi John' has been unmasked this week as Mohammed Emwazi.
A multi-million-pound manhunt is now underway, involving British police, counter-terror spooks from MI5 and MI6 as well as US agents from the FBI and CIA.
But what’s unusual for a British man in his mid-twenties is that he has next to no digital footprint.
So far we only have one photo of Emwazi as an adult before he re-emerged as ‘Jihadi John’ - taken from his records from when he studied computer programming at Westminster University.
Prior to that we’d only seen a photo of him was an eight-year-old at St Magdalene’s Church in set London.
So how come there’s so little about his life before terrorism online? And is it particularly unusual?
We spoke to some experts to find out.
He would have planned ahead
“Most extremists or criminals aren't as thoughtful as Jihadi John,” says Michael Fertik, CEO of Reputation.com.
“He just deleted his Facebook page and his Instagram page This is not a shocking dearth of information. It's consistent with a decision taken some time ago to shut down social media accounts.
"But for our appetite for more information about this 'baby Hitler' we would not be so amazed by the amount of information that is currently online."
He points out that we know where he lived and that he was a student - which is often the same amount of information available after people delete their main social media accounts.
"It's not a Jedi-level job," says Fertik.
Jihadi John unmasked
Or avoided posting altogether
“The best way to cover your tracks online is to not do anything online,” says Frank Ahearn, author of How to Disappear.
He says that often extremely religious or fundamental people avoid social media.
"If you’re travelling a lot, you'd be aware not to put any information online to avoid suspicion. If you put extreme content online, it can get picked up by intelligence agencies," he adds. Particularly with a an Arabic name in a post-9/11 world.
And posting misinformation online
Instead of deleting accounts, it can be better to simply start spinning out misinformation. Changing facts on your profiles, such as the city you live in. “Deviate your information to create confusion” says Ahearn.
Despite this, it's very hard to leave no digital footprint
"It's not impossible to hide your identity, but it's very difficult," says Stuart Hyde QPM, a faculty member of the Global Institute of Cyber, Intelligence & Security (GICIS).
He describes using different email addresses, using throwaway phones and being careful about who you speak to.
You can operate "under the radar" but you have to emerge sometimes.
"But it's hard to be completely anonymous and yet still be engaged in a socially-networked world," he adds.
We'll start to see a whole lot more information emerge now
"We'll probably start to see an accumulation of photographs from his earlier life, taken by others from school or his estate," says Fertik.
We're already hearing about his sister's disturbing film project and the fact that he was a caring friend who gave Haribo to his classmates.
We also now know that intelligence agencies have secretly been probing his background for months, monitoring phone calls and social media communication by Emwazi's family and friends - and they may start to release information strategically.
Friends of the pair at the school pointed out the amazing similarities between the two
CEN
A girl who was kidnapped from her parents as a newborn baby has finally returned home 17 years later - after bumping into her identical sister at school.
Zephany Nurse, who is now 17, vanished on April 30, 1997 from Woodstock in South Africa three days after being born.
Police claim she was taken by a woman when her mother fell asleep but her parents Celeste and Morne never lost faith in finding her.
Every year the family celebrated their daughter's birthday on 28th of April, with a cake with her name on it.
In a 2010 interview, the girl's biological father Morne said: "I'll never, ever give up hope. I can feel it in my gut - my daughter is out there and she is going to come home."
In a police report posted at the time they said: "Zephany was only three days old when she was abducted by an unknown coloured female at about 15.30 out of the hospital.
"The unknown female spoke to the mother about the baby and the mother fell asleep, when the nurse came to wake the mother up, Zephany was gone."
CEN
Search: Zephany on the National Centre for Missing Children website
And it was a remarkable twist of fate that reunited Zephany with her parents last year.
School pupils started to point out the amazing similarities between Zephany and another girl in a different class.
When her biological parents heard about this, who hadn't given up hope of finding Zephany, they invited her over for tea and were stunned by the resemblance.
When she arrived, the couple were so stunned by her resemblance to their other three daughters they called police - and DNA tests later confirmed their suspicions.
Details of what happened to her in the intervening 17 years remain unclear.
Police said that Zephany grew up with a different name and a different family, never knowing she was not their real daughter.
A 50-year-old woman was arrested in connection with Zephany's disappearance and has appeared in court.
Police added: "The suspect is being charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening sections 32 (4) (a) and (b) of the Children’s Act – in that she fraudulently pretended that she was the biological mother of a child.
"The kidnapped girl has since been placed in the care of the Department of Social Services of the Western Cape Government."
Heart of Scotland presenters Robin Galloway and Adele Cunningham apologised after being caught in an X-rated outburst
Daily Record
Breakfast show readio presenters have apologised after a foul-mouthed outburst went out live on air.
Heart of Scotland presenters Robin Galloway and Adele Cunningham thought they had finished for the day and were heard saying motherf***er, s*** - and talking about penises.
Our sister paper The Daily Record reports that the pair were waiting to hand over to DJ Toby Antis when they had a private chat - or so they thought.
Robin, 52 and his co-host Adele, 36, were unaware they were still broadcasting live and continued to prepare for the next morning's show.
When a caller didn’t answer, they left a message suggesting the caller leaves her office desk and talks to them from the toilet.
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Later in the conversation they were heard talking about circumcision and during their banter they swore using the words s*** and motherf***er.
In a statement to RadioToday they said: “We are really sorry for leaving our mics on this morning and apologise if anyone was offended.”
Listeners took to social media shocked at what they heard.
On Twitter ConnorGordon28 posted: "Hahahaha just heard them swearing and talking about circumcision on Heart radio. #HeartFMbanter"
Former Heart breakfast presenter Ewen Cameron was also quick to mock the pair's mistake on Facebook.
He posted: "When handing over to London, from Scotland, for the mid-morning show you have to be careful hehehe!"
DJ Robin has only just returned to Heart after being let go from former station Real Radio in 2010 after he played a joke on Ed Miliband which saw his producer streak naked in front of the Labour leader.
Famous for the notorious prank calls which made his morning show a must-listen, Galloway said he had left his bad boy days behind him.
He says he has ditched the wind-ups and mellowed after 30 years in radio.
Speaking to the Daily Record earlier this month he said: "I was a diva but my children have softened me. There were times when the headphones would come off and be bouncing off the walls if something was wrong.
“I’m not good if something goes wrong even now but I am more mellow and I go out on my bike and release a lot of tension.”
In his first newspaper interview for five years, the Little Britain funnyman discusses shyness, diets, gastric bands and his TV return in new comedy Pompidou
JNVisuals / BBC
From the skintight PVC bodysuits of Little Britain’s only gay in the village to the full-breasted fatsuit of Bubbles Devere, Matt Lucas could never be described as camera shy.
Off-screen, however, it is a completely different story.
Back acting on British TV for the first time in more than four years, the shy comedian admits he hides behind his outlandish characters – and is considering a gastric band after putting on weight.
Matt says: “I’m as uncomfortable looking at photographs of myself as anybody is and that’s one of the reasons I dress up.
“I do feel self-conscious and look at those photos and go ‘Oh, you’ve still got no hair, you’re still carrying too much weight, you’re still too short, and oooh, when you’re in profile look how big your nose is.’
“I have the same insecurities anyone else has about their appearance... well, probably more so.
“I lost my hair when I was six so the fact that I looked different was made apparent to me from a very early age.
“People always commented on it so I think my way of dealing with it through the years was to disguise myself. It felt like a safe thing to do.
“Oddly, when I’m in character, I tend to deliberately make myself look even worse. There’s no vanity in comedy, especially in this country.
“The characters that we love – Basil Fawlty, David Brent, Miranda, Alan Partridge and Mr Bean – are usually the misfits. These are the performances that are endearing to us.”
In 2010 doctors advised Matt to lose weight and he shed over three stone.
JNVisuals
Mirror man: But Matt is not always comfortable with his appearance
Since moving to Los Angeles and going on a self-imposed break from the public eye he has, by his own admission, put it back on – with interest.
Now on a diet , the 40-year-old is “looking into” £12,000 gastric band surgery.
He adds: “I’ve been on a strict diet since the start of the year and just trying to be a bit sensible, eating less and exercising a bit more.
“I’ve just cut right down on all the things I love and started eating all the things I don’t love. And walking a bit more.
“I’m open to the idea of getting a gastric band. The thing is I lose weight but never keep it off. If I can find a way to help that, then maybe I’ll explore it.
“But this suit I’m wearing today, I couldn’t get into until recently. I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs and I don’t smoke so my vice is a large bar of chocolate.
“Everyone’s got their thing and for me, I’m like a child. I just really like sweets.
“I always say eating chocolate is like eating a smile... and clearly I’ve eaten too many smiles.”
He laughs: “What’s terrible is that a shop has opened a 45-second walk from my front door selling British chocolate.”
JNVisuals
Excited: Matt discusses his new show Pompidou with the Mirror's Clemmie Moodie
Home, for Matt, is West Hollywood and although he still has a place in North London, he’s been based in the States for the past few years.
He is, though, about as un-LA as it is possible to get. In the nicest possible way.
Apologising for being fractionally late for our interview – his first newspaper chat in five years – he is polite, friendly and remarkably grounded for a household name, especially one whose Emmy-winning Little Britain sketch show with David Walliams was aired in 140 countries.
Of his Hollywood lifestyle, he grins: “I happen to live in LA but this is slightly misleading, as if I’m out in nightclubs all the time and going to parties.
“But the truth is I live in a place with a quiet garden and grow fruits and spend time with my dogs. I live a quiet life.”
Today, the star is here to discuss his daring new BBC2 comedy series Pompidou starring the aristocratic title character who lives in a caravan after falling on hard times.
It also features a puppeted Afghan hound called Marion and much of the dialogue is in gibberish.
Or, as Matt explains: “Often kids liked Little Britain but I was often told off by their parents in the street because it was quite rude.
“So I wanted to do something people of all ages could enjoy.
“Little Britain had an international audience but often had to be dubbed or subtitled. So my thinking was that by doing something in gibberish, at least everybody could understand it – or not understand it – equally.”
BBC
Quite rude: Matt as Florence and David Walliams as Emily in Little Britain
Twenty years after first appearing on TV as baby-faced George Dawes on Shooting Stars, Matt is used to being recognised.
And despite being “quite a private person”, it does not faze him.
Chatting over a bottle of mineral water at London’s ITV studios, he adds: “I’m quite shy in many ways.
“I’m not a fixture of the showbiz scene, I don’t really do the red carpets and I don’t tend to go to the openings of things.
“I’m quite private but I did choose to put myself here. I’m not the relative of some-one fam- ous who became famous by default, I’m not royal who was born into it.
“I made a decision to get into acting at a young age and don’t think you can put yourself on TV, inflict yourself on people, and then complain when people recognise you or want a photo. That would be churlish. The other thing I will say is, that because I was that bald kid, people used to stare at me anyway.
“I was used to being looked at. And actually, when I was on TV, it was nicer. Because rather than people just being curious as to whether I had leukaemia, which I didn’t, or was ill, which I wasn’t, people were actually recognising me for something I did rather than something I was.”
It has undoubtedly been a mixed few years for the comedian.
In 2008 he split from his husband-of-two-years Kevin McGee. A year later TV producer Kevin killed himself.
Devastated, this was one of the main reasons Matt escaped to LA and out of the public eye. It’s still too raw for him to discuss at any length.
But after throwing himself into Pompidou, a series of which he is “most proud”, the actor is once again smiling, and ready to date.
“I’m excited to be back making TV again,” he says. I feel that this is my best work and more of a reflection of where I’m at now. It was a conscious decision to take a step away from the public side of life and to just sort of clear my head.
“It was a chance to think about what I wanted to do creatively and where I wanted to be and what was right for me.
“Living in California suited me well; I just wanted to have a place I could go to find peace and tranquillity and, to be honest with you, I found that. I feel very lucky.
“I joined Tinder (a dating website) fairly recently but quite often I’d put a photo of myself up and people would assume it wasn’t me, or just a joke. Having said that, I have had some lovely cups of tea and been on dinner dates with a few very charming people. It’s been very nice.”
Pompidou starts on Sunday night on BBC2 at 6.30pm.
Unemployed Zoltan Kohari, 29, first donned the outfit three years ago, helping locals in his hometown of Dunajska Streda in south west Slovakia
A Batman enthusiast who dressed up as his hero to aid police in their fight against crime has been arrested after being accused of molesting an underage girl.
Zoltan Kohari first donned the outfit three years ago, helping locals in his hometown of Dunajska Streda in south west Slovakia.
His bid to fight crime caught the attention of locals, with neighbour Lenka Brezikova saying: "He has had a tough life but he is doing good now, helping to keep an eye on the public."
The unemployed 29-year-old is now facing charges of sexually assaulting a young girl alongside a separate charge of loan fraud.
CEN
Allegations: Zoltan Kohari
A police spokesman said: "Regarding the abuse charge, he was initially arrested in 2013 and sentenced to four years in prison, but the judge suspended the verdict saying he wanted a further investigation done.
"Kohari was supposed to appear in court this month but failed to do so and so an arrest warrant was issued.
"In relation to the second charge of fraud, he had applied for a loan of 22,000 GBP which was turned down and he only got 1,500 GBP.
"A loan for the full amount was later given to a company that had been set up in his name, however he denies that this second loan and the company that received it was anything to do with him."
John Leslie's brother Grant Stott raged at burglars who killed their parents' goldfish by pouring vodka into its tank and leaving a hairdryer on top
Getty/Rex
The parents of John Leslie were heartbroken after their burglars raided their house and killed their goldfish by drowning it in vodka.
His brother radio DJ Grant slammed the cruel thieves on a Facebook rant.
He told how their parents Alexia and Leslie, returned to their Edinburgh home after a holiday to find the place ransacked.
Our sister paper the Daily Record reports that the thieves, who stole various items from the house, poured vodka into a fish tank and killed the pets.
They also smashed eggs all over the kitchen, smashed the heating thermostat and left a hair dryer on in an attempt to set a fire.
Grant, whose brother John Leslie was a Blue Peter presenter wrote: "I know bad things happen but sometimes it just beggars belief. Mum and dad got home yesterday from a couple of days away to find they'd been broken into.
Daily Record
Anger: Grant Stott
"Place trashed, ransacked and various bits and bobs gone. Damage is fixable but it's the psychological impact on them that concerns me most."
The veteran panto star added: "Eggs smashed all over the kitchen, vodka poured into their fish tank (wtf?) killing their pet fish, left the hairdryer on in what can only be seen as an attempt to start a fire - thankfully it didn't."
Grant said the family are trying to remain upbeat and positive but warned: "Whoever these little scrotes were I believe in karma and I very much believe that one day you will get yours."
