Junior doctor goes viral after rescuing live fish from garden lawn in Newcastle
A junior doctor who found a goldfish on his garden lawn has gone viral on social media after saying he had “no idea” how it got there.
Dr Ben Beska, from Newcastle, made the discovery on Saturday after he heard a group of magpies squawking and went out to investigate – and then spotted the fish lying in the grass.
The NHS cardiology doctor rushed to retrieve the fish and placed it in a freezer drawer filled with water – the only large container he could find.
Locking the fish away from his two pet cats, Dr Beska visited his nearest aquatic shop and purchased a tank for the fish.
The 33-year-old has named it Alice after a text message he sent to a friend autocorrected “it’s alive” to “it’s alice”.
Dr Beska posted about his discovery on X, formerly Twitter, and it has now been viewed more than 19 million times, according to figures from the social network.
Dr Ben Beska has named the fish Alice. Pic: PA
He described the reaction as “bonkers” and added: “It’s pretty mad really, finding a fish on the lawn. I have no idea how it got in the garden…
“Then I saw this thing on the floor and I was like: ‘What the hell?’
“I went out and I was like, as if it’s an actual fish, so took a photo to send to my fiance to say: ‘How the hell is there a fish on the floor’, and then it moved – I couldn’t just leave it.”
Dr Beska said he picked up the “flapping” fish and put it in the freezer drawer after filling it with water.
He said: “It started to swim around so it was alive…
“I think it was seconds from death, so it’s a lucky fish.”
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Dr Beska suspects a bird picked up the fish from a nearby pond and dropped it while carrying it away – but said it must have travelled a “reasonable distance” because there were no ponds nearby.
The mystery of the goldfish has gone viral on X, with Dr Beska’s original post attracting more than 174,000 likes and nearly 5,000 comments.
Alice was put in a freezer drawer after being rescued. Pic: PA
He said: “It’s very odd, I mainly use [social media] for medical stuff, so this is very, very different.”
One X user has even gone as far as creating an account for the fish, with the username @alicebeska, which Dr Beska said was “very funny”
Dr Beska now intends to keep the fish as a pet, and plans to purchase a larger tank – and possibly another fish to keep it company.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
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As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
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