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Sir Chris Hoy has said his “selfless” wife, Sarra, kept her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis a secret as they dealt with his prostate cancer treatment.

Sir Chris, 48, one of Britain’s most successful Olympians, revealed last weekend that his prostate cancer, which he disclosed in February, is now stage 4, and he has “two to four years” to live.

In an extract from his memoir, All That Matters: My Toughest Race Yet, published in The Sunday Times, the track cyclist said his “selfless” wife, Sarra, had shown him unwavering support while facing “this absolute crisis in the midst of my own”.

Chris Hoy of Britain celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's track cycling keirin race at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 16, 2008. REUTERS/Phil Noble (CHINA)
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Hoy celebrates winning the men’s track cycling keirin race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Pic: Reuters

Sarra went for a routine MRI scan a week after his cancer diagnosis after suffering a tingling sensation in her face and tongue.

Sir Chris said she joked it was “a chance for her to have a lie down for an hour” and “as close to a spa day as she’d get”.

She continued to support me “wholly and completely” after the scan and he thought no more of it, as her symptoms disappeared.

But he revealed his wife, who was “always so strong”, was “struggling to get the words out” when she broke the news of her diagnosis to him in December.

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With “tear-filled eyes”, she asked him if he remembered the scan and said “‘they think it might be multiple sclerosis'”.

The six-time Olympic gold medallist “immediately broke down”, he said, “distraught both by the news and the fact she’d received it without me there”.

Chris Hoy and his wife Sarra Kemp at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021. Pic: Reuters
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Chris Hoy and Sarra in 2021. Pic: Reuters


She had known for more than a month, he writes in the memoir, saying: “It was so hard to try to compute that she had absorbed the awfulness of this diagnosis alone, without sharing it with me, in order to protect me.

“My mind was spinning, trying to understand what had been happening to her, all while she had been accompanying me to every one of my own hospital appointments.”

MS is a chronic condition that affects the brain and spinal cord and cannot be cured, but medicines and other treatments can help alleviate symptoms that include extreme tiredness, vision problems and difficulty with walking or balance.

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Hoy speaks after revealing cancer diagnosis

Sir Chris wrote: “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; Sarra, so fit and well, able and healthy, was facing this absolute crisis in the midst of my own.

Later that month, Sarra was told her condition was “very active and aggressive”, meaning she needed treatment “very quickly”.

He couldn’t understand how she “was able to take this news with such fortitude”.

Sir Chris describes his wife as “the centre of my life”, and writes that he knew within minutes of meeting her in 2006 that “she was everything I was looking for”.

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Hoy’s terminal diagnosis could save countless lives

The couple were married four years later and have two children, seven-year-old Chloe and Callum, 10.

He said in his book: “Sarra has amazed me with all that she has faced. She has supported me and encourages me every step of the way, but rarely speaks about her own symptoms.”

On Thursday, Sarra posted on social media saying she was “completely overwhelmed” by the “kind, thoughtful and helpful messages” following her husband’s announcement and called him a “real-life superhero”.

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Inside the cannabis farms being set up in rented homes

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Inside the cannabis farms being set up in rented homes

Organised criminal gangs are increasingly using rented houses and flats to operate illegal cannabis farms – and police say it is putting the lives of innocent neighbours at risk.

The gangs often use crude methods to bypass electricity meters to avoid paying for the high levels of energy the farms require, creating an increased fire risk.

Rival gangs also carry out raids on each other’s farms – a practice known as ‘taxing’ – carrying out “significant violence” to anyone who gets in their way, police say.

Greater Manchester Police detected 402 cannabis farms between May 2024 and April 2025, and Sky News was given access to an operation by its officers at a semi-detached house in a quiet suburban street in Wythenshawe.

Inside, officers found one room full of cannabis plants and another ‘drying room’ with the drug packaged up and ready to be distributed. The street value was estimated in the tens of thousands of pounds.

Cannabis farm
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This home on a quiet street was filled with cannabis plants

Cannabis farm Milam package

Outside, officers found evidence that the electricity meter had been bypassed. ‘Abstracting’ is the offence of dishonestly using, wasting or diverting electricity. One person inside the property was arrested.

“The electricity gets bypassed in order to avoid big electric bills,” Inspector Bree Lanyon said.

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“Because a substantial amount of electric is required to run the lights, the ventilation, the heat, everything else that’s required in the cannabis farm, the abstract is done in a haphazard way and it can cause fires within the properties.”

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Officers found bags of the drug ready to be distributed

She continued: “We’ve seen a lot of fires recently in premises that have been set up as cannabis farms, because of the way the electricity is set up. It’s not safe and the neighbouring residence could be at risk if that property is burning down.”

The risks posed by cannabis farms were highlighted by the death of seven-year-old Archie York in 2024. He was killed when chemicals being used in a cannabis factory caused an explosion in the family’s block of flats. The drug dealer responsible was jailed for 14 years.

Archie York still from Greg Milam package
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Archie York

Archie York aftermath
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The aftermath of the explosion which killed the seven-year-old

Police say gangs employ low-level operatives, known as gardeners, to manage and protect farms, who will often plead guilty to drug offences and accept the punishment to keep police off the trail of those controlling the operation.

The use of rented properties – sometimes through rogue landlords – also makes detection more difficult.

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The ins and outs of UK cannabis law
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“The vast majority are organised crime gangs,” said Detective Inspector Paul Crompton, from GMP’s serious and organised crime group. “It infuriates me when we take action against these farms and people say ‘It’s only cannabis’.

“What we see with cannabis farms is that rival organised crime groups will actively target those and break in and take the products by force. You’ve got a risk of potentially people being kidnapped or killed without us knowing anything about them.

“Make no bones about it, there’s massive amounts of money to make and they would rather just go and take that cannabis and sell it for themselves. They’ll do significant, violence against anybody that gets in the way, whether that’s the gardener, the police or residents who might get in the way.”

 Cannabis farms Milam
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Police check an electricity meter for evidence of ‘abstracting’

Police say landlords need to be aware of the risks and even the chief executive of the British Landlords Association has fallen victim.

One of Sajjar Ahmad’s properties was badly damaged by those using it for an illegal cannabis farm. “I can only explain it as horrific,” he said.

“Our members, when they’ve experienced the problem with the cannabis farm, they are shocked. They didn’t know it could happen. They are not aware of the telltale signs.

“They have the same regrets as what I experienced – you need to carry out regular inspections and, if somebody is offering you a larger rent, then you should question that.”

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Personal trainer jailed over ‘first date’ chase that ended in crash involving five police cars

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Personal trainer jailed over 'first date' chase that ended in crash involving five police cars

A personal trainer who admitted dangerous driving on a first date that ended in a police car pile-up has been sentenced to one year and two months in a young offenders’ institution.

Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, was taking a woman home in the early hours of 9 April when his driving triggered a car chase and eventual crash involving five police cars.

Mazyar Azarbonyad. Pic: Northumbria Police
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Mazyar Azarbonyad. Pic: Northumbria Police

Seven officers ended up in hospital, and one of their cars had its roof torn off in the dramatic collision that left debris strewn across the A1 near Newcastle.

Northumbria Police said while three officers have been able to return to duty, four remain off work.

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

At Newcastle Crown Court in April, Azarbonyad admitted a series of driving offences, including driving without insurance several times after the crash, and failing to stop.

Northumbria Police said officers attempted to stop his powerful BMW in the Whickham area of Gateshead due to its speed and defective headlight.

After being instructed to pull over, Azarbonyad initially stopped before fleeing as the officer approached his vehicle.

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The scene on the A1, which has been shut in both directions on Tyneside.
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

The scene on the A1, which has been shut in both directions on Tyneside.
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

The car was later spotted on Whickham Front Street where it again made off from police and drove at excessive speeds through residential streets.

Specialist officers from the force’s road policing unit were sent to the area, and at 2.25am got behind the car where it reached speeds in excess of 120mph.

Just two minutes later the collision occurred near the Denton Interchange exit in Newcastle.

Azarbonyad and his female passenger were both uninjured.

The woman, aged in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving but was later told she would face no further action. She later received a caution for drug possession.

Mazyar Azarbonyad arrives at Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing over a multiple vehicle crash which injured seven police officers followin
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Azarbonyad arriving at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday. Pic: PA

Azarbonyad was arrested at the scene and later released on bail with strict conditions including an interim driving ban.

Days later, officers received information that he was driving a red Hyundai i10 from his County Durham home to work in Newcastle city centre.

He was arrested on a garage forecourt in Stanley on 16 April after being caught filling up the vehicle.

Appearing before magistrates the following day, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, two counts of failing to stop a motor vehicle when required by a constable, six counts of no insurance use, and six counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Mazyar Azarbonyad.
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Defending, solicitor Jack Lovell had told the court the defendant, of Stanley, had shown genuine remorse for his actions.

Returning to Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, Azarbonyad was sentenced to one year and two months in a young offenders’ institution.

He was also disqualified from driving for three years and seven months. If Azarbonyad wishes to get behind the wheel again, he must also sit an extended re-test.

Five-vehicle crash involving police vehicles shuts down A1
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Following the court case, Superintendent Billy Mulligan said: “It is sheer luck that Mazyar Azarbonyad did not kill anyone that day with his reckless actions.

“What should have been a simple stop turned into him driving incredibly dangerously in a bid to get away from officers.

“He showed absolutely zero regard for the safety of anyone else that morning, and his decision-making behind the wheel put lives at risk.”

Superintendent Mulligan praised the bravery of the officers involved in the pursuit and subsequent collision.

He added: “While three officers have been able to return to duty, four of our colleagues remain off work – and I wish them all the best in their recovery.

“They were simply doing their job, protecting the public from the actions of someone who was not even qualified or insured to drive.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to this type of behaviour, and we are committed to bringing offenders to justice and ensuring our roads are as safe as possible.”

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Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London

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Man convicted after burning Koran outside Turkish consulate in London

A man has been found guilty of an offence after burning a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London, in a case that sparked debate over the freedom of expression.

Hamit Coskun was accused of shouting “f*** Islam” and “Islam is religion of terrorism” as he held up a burning copy of the holy Islamic text in Knightsbridge, London, in February.

He was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence.

Delivering the verdict, district judge McGarva said: “Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.”

The 50-year-old denied using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, motivated by “hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam”, contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986.

He had also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, contrary to section five of the Public Order Act 1986.

The charges were alternative, meaning only one or the other would apply, but not both.

Prosecutors said Coskun had written on social media he was protesting the “Islamist government” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had “made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime”.

Mr Erdogan, who has been in power for over 20 years, leads the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which, while created from former Islamist movements and having a strong religious base, describes itself as a conservative-democratic party and has strongly denied being Islamist.

Barrister Katy Thorne KC, defending, last week argued the prosecution was effectively trying to revive blasphemy laws, which were abolished in England and Wales in 2008 and Scotland in 2021.

Coskun, who has both Kurdish and Armenian heritage but was born in Turkey, travelled from his home in the Midlands and set fire to the Koran on the afternoon of 13 February, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard last week.

Footage aired in court showed another man confronting Coskun, allegedly holding a knife and saying: “It’s my religion, you don’t burn the Koran.”

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