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The deaths of five people, including Leicester City’s owner, in a helicopter crash were accidental, an inquest jury has ruled.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, referred to in court as Khun Vichai, died in the crash along with two of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer, and Mr Swaffer’s girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz, a fellow pilot.

The jury delivered its verdict on Tuesday after being previously instructed to conclude that the crash was accidental.

Philip Shepherd KC, representing the relatives of Khun Vichai, said those who died were the “innocent victims of a tragic accident that never needed to happen”.

His son Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, described his father as “one-of-a-kind, an investor in dreams” and said: “We miss him and feel his loss every day.”

“My father trusted in the design of this helicopter,” he said in a statement. It wasn’t safe. It was a death trap.”

As the helicopter was leaving the King Power Stadium in Leicester on 27 October 2018, a fault caused it to spin “rapidly” out of control before it crashed outside the stadium and burst into flames, the inquest heard.

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File photo dated 07/08/2016 of Leicester City's chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on the pitch before the Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium, London. Adam Davy/PA Wire
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Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others died when their helicopter crashed in 2018. Pic: PA

Jon Rudkin, Leicester City’s director of football, who had known Mr Srivaddhanaprabha for eight years, described the moment the Leonardo AW169 helicopter started to “nosedive” after taking off at 8.37pm.

“It held its position as it sometimes did,” he said. “As it turned it continued to turn and then go into a spin.

“As soon as it went on that first full circle, I thought this was strange.

“It then started to nosedive away from the stadium still rotating in the air.”

FILE - Tributes from supporters rest at a memorial under a portrait of team owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha outside Leicester City Football Club, Monday Oct. 29 2018, in Leicester, England. . (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
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Tributes at a memorial outside Leicester City’s ground after the crash. Pic: AP

Mr Rudkin told the inquest he saw the chairman wave and give him a thumbs up before the helicopter took off.

The inquest was shown an animation of the helicopter’s mechanical failure and told a duplex bearing on the tail rotor became “seized and locked”, which caused the actuator control shaft to spin “very fast”.

Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) principal inspector Mark Jarvis said the pilot had done everything he could to try to avoid the crash.

The inquest also heard how police officers tried to smash the aircraft’s windscreen after it crashed, but would never have been able to break the “very strong structure” designed to withstand a bird strike at a speed of 180mph (290kph).

Nusara Suknamai was killed in the Leicester City helicopter crash
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Nusara Suknamai was among those who died in the crash

Sergeant Michael Hooper said he could hear the helicopter’s trapped pilot, Mr Swaffer, shouting: “Get me out of here, help me.”

The crashed helicopter was resting on its left-hand side, meaning neither side door could be opened. A fuel leak then caused the aircraft to catch fire.

PC Stephen Quartermain became emotional as he remembered realising “the people were going to die”.

Ms Lechowicz died from injuries sustained when the helicopter hit the ground – but the other four victims initially survived the crash, and were killed by smoke inhalation from the fire, a pathologist told the inquest.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to pay tribute to those who were tragically killed in an helicopter crash at Leicester City Football Club...s stadium, King Power Stadium, Leicester, England, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai billionaire owner of Premier League team Leicester City was among five people who died after his helicopter crashed and burst into flames shortly after taking off from the soccer field on Saturday Oct. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
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Prince William and Kate visited the stadium to pay their respects in the wake of the crash. Pic: AP

‘Caring and devoted’

As the inquest opened at Leicester City Hall, the jury heard pen portraits of the victims, with Mr Srivaddhanaprabha described as a “caring and devoted husband, father, uncle and grandfather”.

In a tribute read by family barrister Philip Shepherd KC, relatives called him “a great inspiration to us all” and said: “We all loved him very much.”

They added: “He was adored by everyone for his kind spirit, generosity, charm, sense of humour and intellect.”

A statue of former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. Joe Giddens/PA Wire
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A statue of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha now stands outside the King Power Stadium. Pic: PA

Kate Lechowicz, Ms Lechowicz’s sister, described her in a statement as an “extraordinary individual” who “exuded a passion for life” and who “accomplished her task with grace and efficiency”.

Kate Lechowicz also read a tribute to the helicopter’s pilot, Mr Swaffer, and said: “He was great company. He had profound love for aviation, technology, travel, his motorbike and life in general.”

Tributes were also paid to passenger Kaveporn Punpare, who had a young daughter and was one of several butlers employed by the late Leicester City chairman.

A statement prepared for the inquest by his wife said he had initially worked for Mr Srivaddhanaprabha as an assistant butler who accompanied family members on trips.

Meanwhile, Nusara Suknamai, an employee of Khun Vichai’s, was described as a “pillar” of her family.

Speaking to Sky News, her father, Viroj Suknamai, said: “She was a lively person, she was the breadwinner of the family.

“She was the one who looked after the family and after she passed away we have had difficulties financially.”

Ms Suknamai was a former Miss Thailand contestant.

Her father said: “I remember all the good memories that we had together, I remember when she was in the beauty pageants, I was the one who would drive her there.

“If she was still here today she would’ve had a very bright future ahead of her, she could have done many more things in her life.”

Before the start of the inquest, Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s family launched a £2.15bn lawsuit against the helicopter’s manufacturer, Italian company Leonardo SpA.

It is the largest fatal accident claim in English history, according to the family’s lawyers. The sum is for loss of earnings and other damages as a result of the billionaire’s death.

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‘My dad could still be here’, says daughter of Bhim Kohli, 80, killed by children in Leicestershire park attack

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'My dad could still be here', says daughter of Bhim Kohli, 80, killed by children in Leicestershire park attack

The daughter of a man who was killed by two children has told Sky News “there is a possibility” he could have still been alive if police had taken anti-social behaviour reports more seriously.

Susan Kohli has spoken to The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee about what she says were failures by the Leicestershire force, leading up to the death of her 80-year-old father Bhim Kohli near Leicester in September 2024.

Mr Kohli was racially abused and physically attacked just yards from his home as he walked his dog in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town. He suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs, and died in hospital the next day.

Susan Kohli
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Susan Kohli

Susan Kohli is critical of how Leicestershire Police dealt with earlier reports of anti-social behaviour in the area in July and August 2024, before the attack on her father. The force said it did not identify misconduct or missed opportunities, which could have prevented Mr Kohli’s death.

In one of the cases, Ms Kohli said her father faced abusive and racist comments and was spat at. Although the incident in August was not related to her father’s death, she believes a stronger police response could have deterred her dad’s killers.

“Why is it that they’re not taking these things seriously? Are they just waiting for something to happen? Because that’s literally what it looks and feels like.

“They waited for someone to lose their life before they took any stance. If they had arrested these two boys prior to that incident on the 1st of September, there is a possibility my dad could still be here,” she said.

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A boy, who was 14 at the time of the attack, and a girl, who was 12, denied their part in the killing but were found guilty of manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court in April. The pair cannot be named because of their age.

Jurors heard the boy kicked and punched Mr Kohli – encouraged by the girl who recorded parts of the attack while laughing.

Susan Kohli told Sarah-Jane Mee she felt the children's sentences were too lenient
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Susan Kohli told Sarah-Jane Mee she felt the children’s sentences were too lenient

Ms Kohli said she felt their sentences were too lenient after the boy received seven years’ detention while the girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order.

We need the sentencing guidelines to be looked at, whether it’s a child or an adult, they know what they are doing at that age.

“Why is it that because they are a child that they get half the sentence of an adult? He’s going to be out in three and a half years or even less. How is that justice for taking somebody’s life? But that’s not justice at all. They’ve given us a life sentence.”

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Daughter’s anger over child killers

In August, the Court of Appeal ruled the boy’s sentence will not be changed, saying it was neither unduly lenient nor manifestly excessive.

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby had referred the sentence to the court under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The girl’s sentence was not referred to the Court of Appeal.

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Leicestershire Police told Sky News that, due to prior police contact with Mr Kohli, the force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The force found that proportionate and reasonable lines of enquiry were followed and concluded that no misconduct or missed opportunities which could have prevented Mr Kohli’s death were identified.

Chief Superintendent Jonathan Starbuck said: “The death of Bhim Kohli is an extremely shocking, traumatic and upsetting incident and our thoughts, sorrow and sympathies continue to remain with Mr Kohli’s family and friends.

“We know that anti-social behaviour has a huge impact on people’s lives. Preventing and addressing incidents and community concerns is of the utmost importance to our force in order to ensure the safety of our residents. This is something we continue to work on, address and to make ongoing improvements wherever we can.

“Through our own local investigation, following direction by the IOPC, we also identified organisational learning in relation to improving our system of logging and tagging anti-social behaviour incidents.”

An IOPC spokesperson said: “We agreed with Leicestershire Police’s finding that police officers did proactively investigate matters reported to them and there was nothing to indicate any officers or police staff committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner justifying disciplinary proceedings.

“And we agreed with learning identified by the force in respect of accurately recording and tagging incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB), thus ensuring incidents can be dealt with appropriately and to support the long-term management and deterrence of ASB.”

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Summer 2025 was warmest on record – and repeat is now 70 times more likely, Met Office says

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Summer 2025 was warmest on record - and repeat is now 70 times more likely, Met Office says

The UK has just sizzled through its hottest summer on record, a phenomenon made 70 times more likely by climate change, the Met Office said today.

It beat the previous high set in 2018, and kicks the notoriously hot summer of 1976 into sixth place.

The persistent heat drove hosepipe bans, “nationally significant” water shortfalls, and even a “false autumn” in places.

The new provisional data found temperatures between 1 June and 31 August 2025 were 16.10C on average across the UK – much higher than the previous record of 15.76C in 2018.

The difference might sound small, but – as an average over a three-month period, including day and nighttime temperatures – is in fact substantial.

All the top five warmest summers have occurred since the year 2000, which the Met Office called a “clear sign of the UK’s changing and warming climate”.

This summer was the hottest by far, much warmer than all the previous records, and relegating 1976 to sixth place.
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This summer was the hottest by far, much warmer than all the previous records, and relegating 1976 to sixth place.

Did autumn come early this year?

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The heat gave rise to early signs of autumn, with blackberries ripening early and leaves turning brown and falling to the ground in August.

This so-called “false autumn” is not the early arrival of the next season, but a survival mechanism of trees and plants when stressed by extreme summer conditions.

They shed leaves and fruit ahead of schedule to conserve water and energy, especially the younger trees whose shallow roots can’t access moisture further underground.

Kevin Martin from Kew Gardens called false autumns a “visible warning sign”.

“Trees are remarkably resilient, but they are also long-lived organisms facing rapid environmental changes.”

Was this summer warmer than 1976?

This summer was the hottest on record going back to 1884, and far warmer even than the memorably hot summer of 1976, which now trails in sixth place.

The Met Office’s Dr Mark McCarthy said this shows how “what would have been seen as extremes in the past are becoming more common in our changing climate”.

The summer of 1976 is remembered for its heatwave that lasted more than two weeks, and 16 days in total with temperatures over 32C.

Although 2025 has had just nine days of temperatures over 32C, what is “striking” about this summer is how consistently warm it was, the Met Office said.

Why was this summer so warm?

There were a number of factors that made it so warm, so persistently.

Lingering high pressure made for settled, sunny and warm weather, and fuelled four heatwaves.

It was also very dry, with about a quarter less rain than average for summer – though that varied by region. But it followed the driest spring in England for more than a century.

Dry ground holds less moisture that can evaporate: a process that usually cools things down.

And a marine heatwave sent sea temperatures on the surface well above average, with a knock-on impact on air temperatures.

Overnight temperatures were also high, keeping the average up.

What about climate change?

Climate change made a summer as hot or hotter than this year 70 times more likely, the Met Office said.

It adds another layer of heat on top of the other weather patterns that may have happened without humans changing the climate.

The UK is warming by roughly 0.25C per decade, and is already at least 1.24C warmer than the period between 1961-1990.

Without climate change, a summer like in 2025 would have happened about once in every 340 years. Now it’s expected once in five years.

Anna Roguski from Friends of the Earth, said the summer “underlined how unprepared the UK is for extreme heat”.

She said we “urgently” need to adapt towns with things like stricter building standards, shaded streets and “far more nature woven through neighbourhoods – trees, wetlands and green spaces help to keep things cool”.

“But adaptation alone won’t be enough. To stop summers spiralling ever hotter, we must slash emissions.”

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Retired vicar involved in ‘Eunuch Maker’ extreme body modification ring jailed for three years

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Retired vicar involved in 'Eunuch Maker' extreme body modification ring jailed for three years

A retired Church of England vicar who was part of an extreme body modification ring run by man who called himself the Eunuch Maker has been jailed for three years.

Warning: The following article contains graphic details of extreme physical mutilation

Reverend Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a nine-second video of him using nail scissors to perform a procedure on a man’s penis in January 2020 was found on his mobile phone.

He also admitted seven other charges, including possessing extreme pornography and making and distributing images of children on or before 14 December 2022.

Prosecutors said some of the material included moving images which had been on the eunuch maker website, run by 47-year-old Norwegian national Marius Gustavson.

Marius Gustavson
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Marius Gustavson

Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years last year after a court heard he made almost £300,000 through his website, where thousands of users paid to watch procedures, including castrations.

Baulcomb was said to have been an “acquaintance” of Gustavson, and the pair exchanged more than 10,000 messages with each other over a four-year period.

He was formerly a vicar at St Mary the Virgin Church in Eastbourne but retired from full-time ministry in the Church of England in 2003.

The diocese of Chichester said he applied for “permission to officiate”, which allows clergy to officiate at church services in retirement, when he moved to Sussex the following year.

But Baulcomb was banned for life from exercising his Holy Orders following a tribunal last year, which heard he was issued with a caution after police found crystal meth and ketamine at his home in December 2022.

He had claimed experimenting with drugs or allowing his home in Eastbourne to be used for drug taking would “better enable him to relate and minister to people with difficulties as part of his pastoral care”.

The diocese said the Bishop of Chichester immediately removed his permission to officiate after being contacted by police, and bail conditions prevented him from attending church or entering Church of England premises.

‘Nullos’ subculture

The Old Bailey heard last year that extreme body modification is linked to a subculture where men become “nullos”, short for genital nullification, by having their penis and testicles removed.

Gustavson and nine other men have previously admitted their involvement in the eunuch maker ring, which one victim said had a “cult-like” atmosphere.

The life-changing surgeries, described as “little short of human butchery” by the sentencing judge, were carried out by people with no medical qualifications, who he had recruited.

Prosecutors said there was “clear evidence of cannibalism” as Gustavson – who had his own penis and nipple removed and leg frozen so it needed to be amputated – cooked testicles to eat in a salad.

Gustavson, who was said to have been involved in almost 30 procedures, pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm between 2016 and 2022.

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