The grieving mother of a Scottish teenager who vanished for almost five weeks has told Sky News she believes a “third party” was involved in her son’s death – but police say there’s “no evidence” of that.

Cole Cooper, 19, was discovered dead in woods near Falkirk earlier this month following a missing persons inquiry his relatives don’t believe was taken seriously enough by police.

He was last seen on CCTV in May after leaving a house party, but police later revealed a former school friend had spoken to Cole a few days later nearby.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, his mother Wendy Stewart, 42, revealed her son had “various arguments” in the days and hours before he disappeared.

In an emotional interview, she said: “He was only 19, he should never have been taken. I am never going to see him again. I never got a chance to give him a last cuddle and hold his hand.

“Someone has taken that away from me far too soon. Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, I do believe there has been some involvement by a third party and the result is the death of Cole.”

The family, who organised a local vigil in Cole’s memory last weekend, have vowed to get “justice”.

Asked what that means, Ms Stewart told Sky News: “Finding the culprit and getting justice that way. Finding the person that is responsible for the death of my child.”

Police previously said 400 residents were spoken to during door-to-door enquiries and more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage was collected.

The 19-year-old’s death is being treated as “unexplained”, with a top police officer saying “at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement”.

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Cole’s aunt Aimee Tennie, 32, revealed the family’s anger over the police handling of the case as they attempt to find out what happened.

She said: “We are aware of small details surrounding the weekend leading up to it with arguments. He had a few arguments over that weekend. We want the details re-examined thoroughly.”

Sky News put all of the family’s concerns and allegations to Police Scotland.

The force initially swerved our questions and responded saying: “Enquiries remain ongoing.”

In an update later on Wednesday morning, Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson said: “We are carrying out significant enquiries into Cole’s death, however, at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement.

“It is vital that we establish the full circumstances leading up to Cole’s death so that we can provide some answers to his family.

“The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are very much with his family and friends and officers will continue to offer them support and keep them informed as our enquiries progress.”

Ms Stewart claimed the probe has been handled “shockingly” with a failure to take her son’s disappearance seriously.

The 42-year-old said: “I have had to scream and shout from rooftops to be heard by the police. I don’t think they have handled it well.

“The police really need to take accountability and listen to families, they are reporting a missing child and understand the family knows their child best.”

Cole’s loved ones still have not been told when his body will be released to allow them to lay him to rest.

A member of Irish-language rap group Kneecap has appeared in court in London after being charged with a terror offence – as hundreds of protesters gathered outside.

Liam O’Hanna, or Liam Og O hAnnaidh, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.

The charge against the 27-year-old, from Belfast, was brought last month after counter-terror officers assessed a video reported to be from a Kneecap concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on 21 November 2024.

O hAnnaidh arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, as a crowd of fans and supporters gathered with placards and flags outside.

During a short appearance, O hAnnaidh confirmed his name and address, and was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing on 20 August.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told him he must attend court on that day.

Kneecap released their first single in 2017 and rose to wider prominence in 2024 following the release of their debut album and award-winning eponymous film – a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and their fight to save the Irish language.

The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise – and have been vocally opposed to Israel’s military action in Gaza.

O hAnnaidh performs under the stage name Mo Chara, while O Caireallain is known as Moglai Bap, and O Dochartaigh as DJ Provai.

They have built a following for their hedonistic anti-establishment tracks, but their outspoken stance has proved polarising – prompting a surge in streaming for their songs and, at the same time, resulting in several of their gigs being cancelled this year.

Last year, they won a discrimination case against the UK government after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was business secretary.

The UK has a 50:50 chance of seeing temperatures of 40C or more again in the next 12 years, the Met Office said.

And temperatures of 45C or more “may be possible” as the risk of extreme heat continues to rise with climate change, experts warned in a new study.

Temperatures first hit 40C in the UK during a record-breaking heatwave in 2022, peaking at 40.3C in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 19 July. The previous top temperature was 38.7C in Cambridge, recorded in 2019.

The extreme heat caused dozens of fires, which ripped through houses, schools, churches and farmland, with fire brigades in London, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire declaring major incidents at the time.

There was also widespread disruption to transport and power systems.

More than 3,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in England over summer 2022, including more than 1,000 excess deaths among older people around the four-day peak of the heatwave.

The risk of 40C temperatures in the UK has been rapidly increasing, according to analysis by the Met Office using global models to create a large number of climate outcomes in current conditions.

The chance of temperatures hitting 40C is now 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s, and the odds have almost tripled since 2000.

Temperatures soaring to a maximum of 46.6C is also considered “plausible”.

There is a 50:50 chance of temperatures hitting 40C again in the next 12 years as climate change pushes up temperatures, the Met Office said in the study published in Weather Journal.

“Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance [of exceeding 40C] to keep rising,” Dr Gillian Kay, senior scientist at the Met Office, and lead author of the study, said.

Heatwaves could also go on for a month or more in the future, with a climate model showing up to two-thirds of summer days could be above the heatwave threshold of 28C.

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Twelve consecutive days above 35C is also possible, according to the study.

Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office science fellow and co-author of the study, said the findings showed the UK needed to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures to “better protect public health, infrastructure, and the environment from the growing threat of extreme heat”.