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On 12 November 1933, a man named Hugh Gray may well have started the orginal viral trend when he snapped the first known photograph of a creature lurking in Loch Ness.

Or, naysayers would argue, an unidentifiable object floating in Scotland’s famous deep waters.

Either way, the image caused a ripple effect that’s still being felt to this day, with people across the world visiting Loch Ness in the hope of getting a photo of “The Loch Ness monster” themselves.

But it hasn’t just been casual visitors.

Teams of investigators, underwater photographers and search teams have tried to find conclusive evidence of the infamous “water beast”, also known as Nessie.

In fact, the biggest search of the loch in 50 years took place over two days in August, with around 100 volunteers looking for the mysterious creature each day. The beast remained hidden throughout.

Volunteers watch the surface of Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland on Aug. 27, 2023, for signs of the legendary monster Nessie. Two groups undertook the biggest search for Nessie in 50 years on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27, with around 100 volunteers taking part each day.
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Volunteers watch the surface of Loch Ness. Pic: AP

Nessie Hunter vessel is seen as people take part in the largest Loch Ness Monster hunt for 50 years in Scotland, Britain, August 27, 2023
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Nessie Hunter vessel used as part of largest monster hunt for 50 years in August. Pic: AP

So are there genuine believers in a giant aquatic monster in 2023, or is Loch Ness now a mere tourist destination for travellers who want to say they’ve been?

Where it all began

The first high-profile report of a Nessie sighting was published by The Inverness Courier in 1933, after a local hotel manageress claimed she spotted a “water beast” in the loch.

Aldie Mackay described the moment she saw a “fearsome-looking monster” as she and her husband were driving near the water.

Mrs Mackay’s statement put Nessie on the map, but reported sightings at Loch Ness go all the way back to 565AD, according to historian, Professor Henry H Bauer.

The Inverness Courier’s report, along with Hugh Gray’s photo taken later that year, sparked a global and long-lasting fascination with finding the elusive monster.

Where we are now

We are now at least 1,155 official sightings in – and counting.

There have been nine logged sightings this year, with the last one coming on 7 October from a man on a coach that was passing the loch.

And much like with most jobs and hobbies, monster hunting has moved into the 21st century, with an Inverness and Loch Ness tourist site allowing you to investigate from the comfort of your home, via 24/7 CCTV across the loch.

Numerous theories have been put forward over the years, including that the creature may be a prehistoric marine reptile, a swimming circus elephant (yes, really) or, most recently, a giant eel.

Remains of a Plesiosaur, which many believe inspired the legend of the Loch Ness monster
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Remains of a Plesiosaur, the dinosaur which many believe inspired the legend of the Loch Ness monster

‘Real or not, it’s a win-win’

Willie Cameron, known widely by locals as “Mr Loch Ness”, is the founder of Loch Ness Marketing, a company providing services to film and media crews on location at the loch.

He estimates that this year alone, around two million tourists from around the world have visited Loch Ness, “probably generating in excess of £55m to the economy”.

Willie Cameron, known as "Mister Loch Ness," shows photos of his sighting of an unknown animal creature in Loch Ness. In Scotland on Saturday began what is believed to be the largest search for the Loch Ness monster, called Nessie, in decades.
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Willie Cameron shows photos of his sighting of an unknown creature in Loch Ness. Pic: AP

“Interest globally has never, ever been higher” in the monster, he adds.

When asked if he thinks there’s a scenario where the search for Nessie stops, the 72-year-old says: “Even if artificial intelligence came out tomorrow with 100 reasons why there is nothing in Loch Ness, trust me, 50% of people would believe that there is something in Loch Ness.

“We’re in a win-win situation. If it’s there, it’s there, if it’s not, it’s not going to make one iota of a difference. People love a mystery.”

The entrepreneur, who says his father had a potential sighting in 1965, told Sky News he also saw something “most unusual” in the loch in August 2016.

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A holidaymaker claims she may have taken a photograph of the legendary Loch Ness Monster

He adds that he knows plenty of people who say they’ve seen the monster, but would never speak to the media or officially log their sightings “for fear of being ridiculed”.

One cannot be blamed for feeling sceptical; the single certainty when it comes to Nessie is that there has never been any conclusive evidence she exists.

In fact, the most famous depiction of the beast, first published in 1934, was revealed to be a hoax in the 1990s.

FILE - This undated file photo shows a shadowy shape that some people say is a the Loch Ness monster in Scotland, later debunked as a hoax. The Loch Ness Centre in Scotland is calling for ...budding monster hunters... and volunteers to join in what it dubs the largest search for the Loch Ness Monster since the 1970s. The visitor attraction said Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, that modern technology such as drones that produces thermal images of the lake will ...search the waters in a way that has never been done before....  (AP Photo/File)
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The ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ in 1934 of the apparent monster was later confirmed a hoax

It begs the question: if we can’t trust a photo from the 1930s, how are we supposed to have faith in the age of Photoshop and AI modification?

Nurse by day, monster-sighting registrar by night

That’s where sightings gatekeeper Paige Daley comes in.

Ms Daley recently took over the official Loch Ness monster sightings register from her father, Gary Campbell, who also started the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club in 1996 after he had a potential Nessie sighting himself.

The site logs all known sightings dating back to early medieval England.

“I’m a nurse by day,” Ms Daley tells Sky News, “and then I spend the rest of my time looking into the Loch Ness monster and mystery of Loch Ness, trying to work out what’s going on.

“We receive hundreds of sightings through the year of unexplained things in Loch Ness. But it does go through a verification process.

“We’ve got to weed out what could be an actual occurrence in Loch Ness, what could be a hoax, and what does actually come down to being something unexplained that could be the monster.”

Is This The Loch Ness Monster - Man Takes Picture Of Creature In Loch Ness. Steve Challice/Cover Images
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Steve Challice is another member of the public who claims to have spotted the monster while on holiday in 2020. Pic: Steve Challice/Cover Images/AP

Ms Daley says she carries out a list of tasks before formally logging a sighting:

  • Assessing the background and foreground of images to make sure it’s Loch Ness and not a random body of water
  • Ruling out things that could be naturally occurring in Loch Ness. She says people sometimes send photos of what can be dismissed as ducks or seals, wakes from boats, or even scuba divers making bubbles in the water
  • With some sightings, contacting academics who have degrees in marine biology, to get their take.

She may also log sightings where no photo was taken – but anyone contacting her should expect an interrogation about what they saw.

“I think there is a heavy weighting towards people feeling that it is a true touristy gimmick,” Ms Daley admits.

“However, I feel that every person who does go there deep inside them believes that they truly could capture a glimpse of the Loch Ness monster.

“We’ve had over a thousand sightings of this unexplained creature at Loch Ness, so it may be an easy copout for people to say it’s a tourist attraction instead of looking at the evidence suggesting that there is something unexplained in Loch Ness.

“It’s amazing to see that 90 years ago, the world got the first glimpse of the Loch Ness Monster and that 90 years later, we’re still getting submissions.”

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Enthusiasts descended on the Scottish lake in a large search for the mythical creature in August

The scientist who didn’t quite rule it out

Professor Neil Gemmell, a scientist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, led a major international monster hunt at Loch Ness in June 2018.

He took 250 water samples from various depths, hoping to identify the tiny fragments of DNA that skin, feathers, scales and urine leave behind and compared it with known species.

It was from this study’s findings that the giant eel theory was born.

“There is a very significant amount of eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness,” Prof Gemmell said when sharing the findings.

“Our data doesn’t reveal their size, but the sheer quantity of the material says that we can’t discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness.”

He added: “For the people who still want to believe in monsters, there is still a lot of uncertainty in our work.”

The professor wanted to search the lake to showcase the science of eDNA to the world.

He floated the idea on social media in 2016, expecting little interest. But a Scottish newspaper picked it up and “all hell broke loose”, Prof Gemmell told Sky News.

“I was getting phone calls and requests for interviews,” he said.

“Suddenly I was the New Zealander who was going to go hunting this monster using DNA technologies… I hadn’t actually done a damn thing yet. I’d just opened my mouth and said we could do it.

“I’ve never had that level of interest in any of my other science. My kids, who were about five and eight at the time, and all their friends were really excited by it.

“So I sat there and thought to myself, ‘You know, they don’t get excited about my other work. Maybe, I could take a few people – and myself – on a bit of an adventure’.”

He says he still receives emails about the monster to this day. Some of them are children’s drawings of Nessie, which the professor says are “always fun”.

His personal favourite piece of mail, he adds, was a five-page letter, “beautifully embossed” by someone claiming to be from a Scottish university, detailing a wild conspiracy involving the Official Secrets Act, the British military and the revelation that the Loch Ness monster was in fact a camel in a wetsuit.

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His interactions with Loch Ness enthusiasts has led him to conclude that “there are people who genuinely, fervently believe” in the monster, “and there’s others who exploit it”.

The man who gave up his job, girlfriend and house for Nessie

There are those who believe, and those who believe.

Steve Feltham holds the Guinness World Record for “the longest continuous vigil for the Loch Ness Monster”, with 32 years under his belt – and counting.

“I very much arrived here with a mission statement to prove to the world that this mystery warrants investigation,” he tells Sky News.

“But now, I’m doing it primarily for the satisfaction of my lifelong fascination, and anything I discover along the way that then seeps into the public domain is a bonus. It’s no longer my mission to convince the world.”

Mr Feltham speaks to us from his once-mobile library van – which he has dubbed “the research van” – now permanently located on Dores Beach, Loch Ness.

Monster hunter Steve poses outside of his van. Pic: Steve Feltham
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Monster hunter Steve Feltham outside his van. Pic: Steve Feltham

It’s been his home since he left his job as a burglar alarm installer, broke up with his long-term partner and sold his house in Dorset to pursue full-time monster hunting in 1991 – a dream born from visiting the loch with his parents when he was seven.

The 60-year-old has now spent more than half of his life watching over the Scottish waters, living off profits from handmaking and selling Nessie models to tourists.

In that time, he’s only had one near-sighting; when he saw something go through the water “like a torpedo”, with water spraying off the back of the object.

That was more than 30 years ago.

Asked if he’s still confident of spotting the infamous water beast, he says: “Well believe I’m in the right place to find it. Definitely.”

Steve looks over the loch from outside his van. Pic: Steve Feltham
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Mr Feltham looks over the loch. Pic: Steve Feltham

Pic: Steve Feltham
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Pic: Steve Feltham

Mr Feltham suspects Nessie is most likely to be a Wels catfish – one of the world’s largest freshwater fish – though he admits “we don’t have enough information yet to give a definitive answer”.

There are no guarantees in the monster-hunting trade. If he spends the rest of his life on Dores Beach and never finds Nessie, would he still stand by his life decisions?

“Good God, yes,” he assures us. “I spent 10 years in the rat race and at the age of 28 decided that it wasn’t for me and that there were other things I would rather do with my life.

“Following my passion, my dream, and being fully involved in a wonderful mystery on all sorts of levels… it’s the place I’m meant to be.”

A monster hunter’s legacy

Asked about what he wants to be remembered for, Mr Feltham says: “I want other people to remember that they don’t have to live a mundane life, doing something they really don’t want to do.

“If they’ve got a dream to do something else – to be a painter or be a singer, or go live in America or whatever their passion is – I’m here to say it doesn’t matter how odd that is. I mean, it’s quite an off-the-wall pursuit that I’ve chosen.

“But whatever they do,” he warns, “I certainly don’t want those people to come and sit in a camper van and try to solve this mystery! I want them to go on their own adventure.”

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Jon Ruben remanded into custody on child cruelty charges after children fell ill at summer camp

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Jon Ruben remanded into custody on child cruelty charges after children fell ill at summer camp

A man has been remanded into custody charged with child cruelty offences after allegedly lacing sweets with sedatives.

Jon Ruben, 76, of Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday after youngsters fell ill at a summer camp in Stathern, Leicestershire.

He has been charged with three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health.

The charges relate to three boys at the camp between 25-29 July.

A general view of the scene in Stathern, Leicestershire, after a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of administering poison at a summ
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The scene in Stathern, Leicestershire. Pic: PA

Ruben spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Police received a report of children feeling unwell at a camp being held at Stathern Lodge, near Melton in Leicestershire, last Sunday.

Officers said paramedics attended the scene and eight boys – aged between eight and 11 – were taken to hospital as a precaution, as was an adult. They have since been discharged.

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Police said the “owners and operators of Stathern Lodge are independent from those people who use or hire the lodge and are not connected to the incident”.

Leicestershire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, after officers initially reported the incident as having happened on Monday, only to later amend it to Sunday.

It is still unclear when officers responded and whether that is why the watchdog referral has been made.

Ruben will next appear at Leicester Crown Court on 29 August.

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‘This shouldn’t have happened’: Bishop who interrupted church choir in dressing gown apologises

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'This shouldn't have happened': Bishop who interrupted church choir in dressing gown apologises

A bishop who interrupted a church concert in his dressing gown – and told singers to “leave his house” – has formally apologised to the choir.

Jonathan Baker was filmed standing barefoot at a microphone as he criticised performers for making a “terrible racket” at St Andrew’s Church in central London.

Addressing the City Academy Voices choir directly, the bishop of Fulham said: “I write to apologise for the distress and offence I caused in bringing the concert to a premature end.

“This should not have happened … I also apologise for remarks which were made in haste, and which have understandably caused hurt and distress.”

The bishop, in his dressing gown, gave the choir a dressing down
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The bishop, in his dressing gown, gave the choir a dressing down

Mr Baker had demanded for the performance to stop because it was 10pm – and says he didn’t realise the choir had booked the church until 11pm.

In the statement obtained by Sky News, he added: “I have lived here on site at St Andrew’s for 10 years, for much of which City Academy has rehearsed and performed here.

“You have been, and continue to be, welcome – and I hope that you will be able to continue the relationship with us.

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“I can give you every assurance that the events of Friday evening will not recur, and I apologise again to performers (especially those unable to perform at the end of the evening) and the audience alike.”

The choir performed their last song
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The choir performed their last song

The choir was performing to a 300-strong audience in Holborn when the lights were suddenly turned off, with Mr Baker declaring the concert was “over”.

A church employee then asked the crowd to leave quietly and for the musicians to step down from the stage, attracting boos from the audience.

The choir went on to perform one last song, an A cappella version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, before bringing their show to a close.

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Bishop
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Jonathan Baker has apologised

One member of the audience, who was attending with his 10-year-old daughter, told Sky News he initially thought the interruption was a staged joke.

Benedict Collins had told Sky News: “This work deserves respect, not to be disparaged as a ‘terrible racket’. The people here had put their heart and soul into it.

“The bishop cut them off in midstream, preventing soloists who had worked their hardest from singing – and preventing the audience, which included people of all ages, from enjoying it to the end.”

The choir told Sky News it was “upsetting” that they were unable to finish their show as planned, but “hold no hard feelings and wish the bishop well”.

A spokesperson added: “If anyone is thinking of joining one of our choirs, the City Academy Voices rehearse on Mondays in central London. Dressing gowns optional.”

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X criticises Online Safety Act – and warns it’s putting free speech in the UK at risk

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X criticises Online Safety Act - and warns it's putting free speech in the UK at risk

The Online Safety Act is putting free speech at risk and needs significant adjustments, Elon Musk’s social network X has warned.

New rules that came into force last week require platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X – as well as sites hosting pornography – to bring in measures to prove that someone using them is over the age of 18.

The Online Safety Act requires sites to protect children and to remove illegal content, but critics have said that the rules have been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content.

X has warned the act’s laudable intentions were “at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach”.

It said: “When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of ‘online safety’.

“It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made.”

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What are the new online rules?

X claims the timetable for platforms to meet mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight – and despite complying, sites still faced threats of enforcement and fines, “encouraging over-censorship”.

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“A balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children. It’s safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK,” it said.

A UK government spokesperson said it is “demonstrably false” that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech.

“As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression,” they added.

Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and 468,000 people have already signed a petition asking for the new law to be repealed.

In response to the petition, the government said it had “no plans” to reverse the Online Safety Act.

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Why do people want to repeal the Online Safety Act?

Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage likened the new rules to “state suppression of genuine free speech” and said his party would ditch the regulations.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn the act were “on the side of predators” – to which Mr Farage demanded an apology, calling Mr Kyle’s comments “absolutely disgusting”.

Regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into how four companies – that collectively run 34 pornography sites – are complying with new age-check requirements.

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These companies – 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd – run dozens of sites, and collectively have more than nine million unique monthly UK visitors, the internet watchdog said.

The regulator said it prioritised the companies based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operated and their user numbers.

It adds to the 11 investigations already in progress into 4chan, as well as an unnamed online suicide forum, seven file-sharing services, and two adult websites.

Ofcom said it expects to make further enforcement announcements in the coming months.

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