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The BBC has released its own timeline of events over the allegations one of its presenters paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs.

The broadcaster says it first received a complaint via a family member of the teenager in May and that it was immediately referred to its internal investigations team.

The corporation says it did not information its presenter for seven weeks about the claims.

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It also says it has paused its own investigation at the request of the Metropolitan Police yesterday while officers “scope future work” related to the complaint.

It comes as the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie faced the media today as the controversy deepens.

Here’s the BBC’s timeline of events:

18 May

The complainant (a family member) visits a BBC building in an attempt to make a complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter

19 May

The same complainant contacts BBC Audience Services and the details are referred to the BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team. The team asses the information.

The assessment made is that – on the basis of the information provided – the complaint does not include an allegation of criminality, but nonetheless merits further investigation.

On the same day, the investigation team emails the complainant stating how seriously the BBC takes the issue and seeks additional information to verify the claims being made.

The BBC says its team receives no response to this email and that checks are also made to verify the identity of the complainant, something it describes as standard procedure.

6 June

A phone call is made by the investigations team to the mobile number provided by the complainant, but the call does not connect.

No additional attempts to contact the complainant are made after 6 June, however the case remains open throughout.

6 July

The Sun newspaper contacts the BBC via the Corporate Press Office of allegations concerning the BBC presenter.

The BBC says it becomes clear at this point that the source of the claims is the same family as approached by the BBC on 18 and 19 May.

This is the first time that the Director General or any executive directors at the BBC are aware of the case.

The BBC says the claims made by The Sun contain new allegations that are different to the matters being considered by the BBC Corporate Investigations team.

A BBC incident management group, involving senior BBC executives and the Director General, is launched to lead the response to the claims and the acting chairman is updated.

A senior manager holds the first conversation with the presenter to make him aware of the claims being outlined by The Sun, and it is agreed that the presenter remains off air while the matter is considered.

7 July

The BBC’s Corporate Investigations team contacts the complainant again.

A BBC’s Serious Case Management Framework (SCMF) is initiated and the investigation being undertaken by the Corporate Investigations Team is brought into the SCMF, which is chaired by a Human Resources Director.

The BBC also makes contact with the Metropolitan Police in regard to the matter.

8-9 July

The complainant sends the BBC some material related to the complaint.

The BBC issues an update to staff and the media and confirms it has suspended the presenter.

10 July

The BBC meets with the Metropolitan Police to report the matter and discuss how to progress the investigation.

The force requests that the BBC pauses its investigations into the allegations while they scope future work.

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Doug Ingle: Iron Butterfly lead vocalist who sang rock classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida dies

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Doug Ingle: Iron Butterfly lead vocalist who sang rock classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida dies

Doug Ingle, the last surviving member of the original line-up of heavy rock band Iron Butterfly, has died aged 78.

Ingle was the lead vocalist and organist in the band he co-founded in 1966 – singing their 17-minute long signature hit In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which featured in a 1995 episode of The Simpsons.

The musician’s son announced his father’s passing on social media but did not give a cause of death.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida featured on Iron Butterfly’s 1968 album of the same name, which spent 81 weeks in the top 10 in the US.

The record was eventually certified quadruple-platinum, meaning it sold at least 400,000 copies.

The title track became legendary and something of a running joke in rock circles, with its length meaning late-night disc jockeys could put it on while going for a cigarette or toilet break.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a slurred version of “in the Garden of Eden” – as allegedly misheard by the band’s drummer Ron Bushy when Ingle was first presenting the song to the band.

In The Simpsons episode Bart Sells His Soul, the skateboarding mischief-maker sneaks a version of the song into his church’s worship service under the title “In The Garden Of Eden”.

“Hey, Marge, remember when we used to make out to this hymn?” Homer whispers in the episode.

The song was also covered by other bands, including Slayer, The Residents, Boney M and the Incredible Bongo Band, whose version was twice-sampled by the rapper Nas. It also appeared memorably in Michael Mann’s 1986 thriller movie Manhunter.

The track ended up being 17 minutes long partly due to Iron Butterfly’s studio engineer Don Casale asking the band to play through the song so he could set his levels and him hitting record without the band members realising.

The extended practice run ended up being the master take.

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Ingle’s son, Doug Ingle Jr, said in a statement confirming his father’s death: “It’s with a heavy heart and great sadness to announce the passing of my father Doug Ingle.

“Dad passed away peacefully this evening in the presence of family. Thank you dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life. Love you Dad.”

Ingle was the last-surviving member of the original line-up of the band, following the deaths of guitarist Erik Brann in 2003, bassist Lee Dornan in 2012 and drummer Ron Bushy in 2021.

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Dozens of musicians have been part of the group in its various incarnations over the decades.

That’s not including the four musicians who tour as Iron Butterfly today – none of whom go further back with the band further than 1995.

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Bruce Springsteen cancels shows over ‘vocal issues’

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Bruce Springsteen cancels shows over 'vocal issues'

Bruce Springsteen has cancelled a series of dates due to “vocal issues”, days after performing in what he described as “hellacious” weather in Sunderland.

The US star, 74, postponed shows in Marseille, Prague and Milan over the next fortnight, with his European tour set to resume in Madrid on 12 June.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, he said he was “recuperating comfortably” and he and the E Street Band “look forward to resuming their hugely successful European stadium tour”.

With “further examination” and “consulting”, the statement also said, doctors determined Bruce “should not perform for the next 10 days”.

Springsteen had played at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Wednesday, where he admitted the weather was particularly wet.

As he was honoured at London’s Ivor Novello Awards on Thursday, he said: “We just… came out of the plane in Sunderland last night, (it was) hellacious weather.

Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

Ivor Novello Awards, Portrait Studio, Grosvenor House, London, UK - 23 May 2024
Bruce Springsteen with his Fellowship of The Ivors Academy and Sir Paul McCartney pose in the Studio at The Ivors with Amazon Music - May 23, 2024 in London United Kingdom. (Photo by Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

23 May 2024
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Sir Paul McCartney presented Bruce Springsteen with the Fellowship of The Ivors Academy. Pic: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

“Driving rain storm, the wind blowing, blowing, blowing, and standing… in front of me, in the rain, I realised: these are my people.”

Springsteen also treated the audience to his song Thunder Road, after Sir Paul McCartney presented him with his Ivors Academy fellowship.

New dates for his postponed shows will be announced shortly, according to his Instagram account, and anyone seeking a refund “will be able to obtain it at their original point of purchase”.

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He rescheduled dates in August last year in the US after he was taken ill, and cancelled planned concerts in March 2023 over other issues.

His first major tour in six years saw him play a headline gig in London’s Hyde Park in July 2023.

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Nicki Minaj fans blame venue – not her arrest – for last minute gig cancellation

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Nicki Minaj fans blame venue - not her arrest - for last minute gig cancellation

Nicki Minaj fans who queued to see her in Manchester only for her arrest to lead to the concert being cancelled at the last minute have blamed the beleaguered venue for the fiasco.

Ticketholders queued outside the Co-op Live arena from as early as 9am on Saturday and were allowed inside at 7pm.

Minaj, however, had been arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possession of “soft drugs” and was not released until 9pm – when the gig was due to start.

Once inside, her fans, also known as Barbz, claim security staff told them she was already in the building. But at 9.40pm promoter Live Nation announced the event was being cancelled.

Nicki Minaj at the Met Gala in New York earlier in May. Pic: AP
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Nicki Minaj at the Met Gala in New York earlier in May. Pic: AP

Alvin Christie, 29, from Liverpool, was among those who had camped out since Saturday morning.

He said: “I would say it was very poorly managed. When we arrived… they were actively telling fans that she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight.

“For a lot of people that were asking those questions, that’s obviously [keeping] people’s hopes up. I understand that maybe they wanted to get people into the arena for health and safety risks to stop people being outside.

“But I think most importantly, they maybe could have advised people as soon as they’ve known that the show was postponed and we should be turned away when we’re outside the arena, rather than holding loads of people in the arena.”

Mr Christie said he does not blame Minaj, and says fans wanted her to be “in a good place” for the show.

“Die-hard Nicki fan” Charu, who also travelled from Liverpool for the concert, said the evening was “so ridiculously disappointing”.

“My sister and I had been looking forward to this for months. I’m in the middle of taking my medical school exams and I had been working around this day and was so looking forward to it,” they said.

“People around us said they’d travelled from Ireland and Scotland, paid for hotels for the night in Manchester, which is not cheap.

“So the fact that tickets will be refunded or still valid for another concert doesn’t really put into perspective the time and money that we have all spent on this night.”

PABest A view of the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. The £365 million venue, the biggest indoor arena in the UK, has postponed its opening numerous times after rescheduling performances from Peter Kay, The Black Keys, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, as well as shows by Olivia Rodrigo scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. Picture date: Thursday May 2, 2024.
Image:
Co-Op Live arena in Manchester. Pic: PA

No toilets for those queuing for hours

Fan Eileen Allardyce also claimed there were “no toilets” while she queued outside from around 4pm.

“I’m very disappointed, more so [with] the venue because, obviously, everyone was unravelling on social media, everyone knew what the situation was and the venue completely let us down,” she said.

Dutch Police told Sky News Minaj was detained and eventually fined for “illegally exporting soft drugs from the Netherlands to another country”.

The rapper claimed she arrived at her hotel in Manchester early on Sunday after spending “5-6 hours” in a cell in Amsterdam.

She then invited fans to her hotel, where according to videos on social media, she spoke to the crowds outside.

“I wanted to honestly tell you that I love you,” she said.

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On X, the 41-year-old said the venue was “willing to go past 11pm”, but unidentified members of staff had “succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight”.

A new date should be announced on Sunday, she added.

“One July option & one June option is currently being discussed. I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance but I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a [ticket] for this show. Promise,” she wrote.

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The new £365m Co-op Live arena has been plagued with problems even before it opened on 14 May.

The 23,500-capacity venue was originally due to open with two Peter Kay stand-up shows on 23 and 24 April, but that was pushed back when problems emerged at a test event headlined by Rick Astley.

The arena then planned for US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie to open the arena on 1 May, but that was called off an hour before his performance, when the ventilation system fell from the ceiling.

The ventilation issue meant scheduled performances by US pop star Olivia Rodrigo and British band Keane were also postponed, while a series of shows by Take That were moved to the AO Arena elsewhere in Manchester.

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