There was a “missed opportunity” to tighten security in NHS mortuaries after Jimmy Savile’s crimes were unearthed, the chair of a major inquiry into serial necrophiliac David Fuller has told The Independent.

Fuller spent 15 years sexually abusing the corpses of more than 100 women and girls at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, after police found a trove of images at his home in 2020 during an investigation into a long-unsolved double murder he committed in 1987.

An independent inquiry concluded on Tuesday that “serious failings” in management and procedures – and a persistent “lack of curiosity” – at the hospitals Fuller worked at enabled the 68-year-old electrician to carry out his crimes for so long without ever being suspected.

The probe identified a host of missed chances to catch Fuller, who is alleged to have accessed the mortuary 444 times in a year, checked logbooks to scan for potential disease in the corpses he abused, and frequently locked himself in the post-mortem examination room to commit his crimes.

Inquiry chair Sir Jonathan Michael made 17 recommendations for tightening security at the mortuary, but he also lamented that similar steps had not been across the NHS back in 2015 after inquiries into Savile detailed suspicions about the notorious paedophile’s abuse of dead bodies at Leeds general infirmary.

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A 2014 inquiry focused on Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust detailed “incredibly harrowing” but uncofirmed allegations that Savile – who had unrestricted access to the mortuary – committed sex acts on corpses there, and claimed to have jewellery made from glass eyes taken from the dead.

The ex-health secretary said: “Joe Anderson – unfortunately, no longer with us – he was incredibly supportive.

“And we ended up in Liverpool having a package of measures that was effective after a very constructive negotiation.”

Mr Anderson, who was the city’s mayor from 2012 until December 2021, responded on social media: “Just took my pulse and I seem to still be here and I feel ok.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/5135890

Matthew Sweet tells the extraordinary story of the hiatus between Doctor Who's cancellation in 1989 and its spectacular revival in 2005.

The shocking discovery: On Nov. 25, the man sought medical help at the Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi, where he complained of severe headaches, along with fluid discharge and loss.

CT scans revealed tension pneumocephalus, a “very rare” and potentially life-threatening condition causing increased intracranial pressure. Doctors, led by Dr. Nguyen Van Man, found that the source of the issue was a pair of chopsticks that had penetrated his nose and entered his brain.

A trip down memory lane: The unnamed patient recalled being involved in a fight five months earlier when he was drinking. Although his memory was hazy, he vaguely remembered being stabbed in the face, possibly with the chopsticks. But when he visited the hospital after the altercation, medical professionals found no chopsticks or irregularities in his nose. Regardless, the patient suspected that the utensils were lodged in his nose during the fight and had remained undiscovered in his skull.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called to High Bridge in the city centre on Wednesday when a passerby saw a man on the ledge of the bridge.

Ray Fisher was attempting to use the Glory Hole on his boat but the current was too strong.

He decided to stand on the ledge to try and push his boat out after it became wedged.

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The 70-year-old said: ‘The Glory Hole is a lot narrower than the rest of the river so there is a heck of a flow on.

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‘I was stuck on one side and the boat was stuck on the other side.

‘There’s no damage, only to my pride. It caused utter chaos with the fire brigade.’

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue sent two Swift Water Rescue Teams to rescue Ray from the ledge and assist with removing the boat from under the bridge.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/5090823

Alistair Darling, the Labour chancellor who steered the UK through the 2008 financial crisis, has died aged 70, a family spokesperson has said.

Following Labour's landslide 1997 election win, Lord Darling served in cabinet for 13 years under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

He also led the Better Together campaign in 2014's Scottish independence referendum.

The ex-Edinburgh MP died after a short spell in hospital, his family said.

Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of trailblazing Celtic punk band the Pogues and one of the all-time great bandleaders, has died aged 65 following a long period of ill health. A family statement said he died at 3.30am on 30 November, and was described as “our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved”.

His wife Victoria Mary Clarke wrote in a statement on social media: “Shane will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life … I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him.”

To celebrate 50 years since the cult horror The Wicker Man came to our cinemas, BBC Radio 4 Extra is ‘sacrificing’ its normal evening schedule to bring you five hours of drama, comedy, documentaries and conversations connected to this unique film, its cast and its music.

The evening will be presented by writer, paranormal psychologist and Celtic pagan, Evelyn Hollow (Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist), who will be introducing highlights such as the world radio debut of an adaptation of The Wicker Man starring Brian Blessed (21:05) and the first broadcast of Christopher Lee’s Desert Island Discs in over 25 years (20:15).

Evelyn will also be offering up archive featuring among others, Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt, and in a specially recorded interview Evelyn will be speaking to the Olivier award-winning actress - who not only played the mischievous schoolgirl Daisy Pringle in the film, but who also sang on some of The Wicker Man’s iconic songs - Lesley Mackie (18:45 & 20:55). Come, it is time to keep your appointment with The World of The Wicker Man…

A dog made the discovery of a lifetime when it discovered an animal believed to be extinct after it wasn't seen for nearly 90 years.

The collie had been deployed by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) as a scent detection dog in a yearslong and nearly hopeless pursuit of finding traces of the De Winton's golden mole. This shimmering mole rarely appears above ground and was last seen in 1936.

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The blind moles live almost entirely underground and don't leave behind tunnels like other species of moles. They appear to "swim" through the sand, according to a press release from EWT, and their extremely sensitive hearing alerts them to vibrations above ground, allowing them to burrow into the ground without being seen.

The UK's Department for Education has crunched the numbers and found that the country's clergy of all things is among the professions most at risk from AI.

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It is indeed peculiar to find that religious roles are so exposed to the technology – the 13th highest ranking for large language models (LLMs) – when spirituality is by all accounts an entirely human phenomenon.

All the same, ChatGPT garnered headlines earlier this year after 300 churchgoers attended a service led by OpenAI's LLM in Germany. As we reported, some dismissed it for having "no heart or soul," while others said they were "pleasantly surprised how well it worked."

About 100,000 trees will be planted across Sussex and Hampshire this winter, the National Park Authority has announced.

As part of the scheme to help disease-hit woodlands flourish, the South Downs National Park will have 23,000 new trees.

“Our tree-scape supports a wealth of wildlife, from rare insects to nesting birds and complex fungi," said Nick Heasman, a countryside and policy manager for the park.

Research from the Woodland Trust shows that one third of all woodland species in the UK are in decline and one in 10 is at risk of extinction.

The newly planted trees will replace plants lost to pests and diseases such as ash dieback and Dutch elm disease.