Police have issued a £10,000 reward for information about a teenager who disappeared from his home nearly 17 years ago. 

Alexander Sloley, a 16-year-old accountancy student, had little money, no wallet and no passport when he went missing in Islington, north London, two days before his birthday in August, 2008.

He had been visiting a friend’s home in Edmonton, but had set off home at around midday.

His family and friends have not heard from him since, and, despite repeated appeals and enquiries, police have never been able to find him.

Mr Sloley had no belongings or spare clothes that would indicate he planned to run away, and his phone, bank account, and national insurance number have not been used since he went missing.

He has also never been spotted on CCTV. In 2009, his case was one of the first to be publicised on nearly 13.5 million milk cartons at supermarket chain Iceland.

When he went missing, Mr Sloley was described as a light-skinned black male, 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build, with striking blue eyes.

According to the Camden New Journal, in 2012 a police officer said about Mr Sloley’s disappearance: “It’s like he disappeared off the face of the planet.”

In 2017, Mick Neville, a retired head of the Metropolitan Police’s Central Images Unit, said he believed there was a possible connection between Alex and missing 14-year-old Andrew Gosden.

Mr Gosden was last seen in King’s Cross Station in London after taking a train from Doncaster, where he lived with his parents and sister.

There has been no trace of him since.

However, in 2019, detectives said there was no proof that Mr Sloley had been harmed and there was no evidence that it was linked to any other cases.

Speaking about the Metropolitan Police’s £10,000 reward, detective chief inspector Sarb Kaur, who is leading the investigation into his disappearance, said: “Alex was reported missing to police on 8 August, 2008.

“Since then, there have been extensive enquiries made by police, but sadly Alex has not yet been found.

“We are now offering a reward of up to £10,000 for anyone who has information relating to Alex’s whereabouts.

“This remains an active missing person investigation, subject to regular review by senior officers, with the aim of locating Alex and bringing some comfort to his family. We have recently met with Alex’s mother to outline how we intend to progress our investigation to find him.

“I would ask anyone with information who could help to please get in contact immediately, no matter how insignificant you think this could be.”

The boss of Primark has resigned after admitting an “error of judgement” in his behaviour towards a woman in a social environment.

Paul Marchant stepped down as chief executive of the high-street fashion brand with immediate effect following an investigation.

Primark‘s parent firm, Associated British Foods (ABF), said he had co-operated with the investigation, and “acknowledged his error of judgment and accepts that his actions fell below the standards expected by ABF”.

“He has made an apology to the individual concerned, the ABF board and also to his Primark colleagues and others connected to the business,” the firm added.

The group’s overall chief executive George Weston said he is “immensely disappointed”.

“At ABF, we believe that high standards of integrity are essential,” he said in a statement.

“Acting responsibly is the only way to build and manage a business over the long term.

“Colleagues and others must be treated with respect and dignity.

“Our culture has to be, and is, bigger than any one individual.”

ABF’s finance director Eoin Tonge will take over as chief executive on an “interim basis” – and his role will be taken up by Joana Edwards, the group’s financial controller.

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The group’s statement added it “seeks to provide a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment where all employees and third parties are treated with dignity and respect”.

“Primark is committed to doing business the right way at all levels of the company,” it said.

ABF promised to continue supporting the woman who made the complaint.

Primark results due soon

The group will still publish its interim results for the financial year as planned on 29 April, according to its statement.

In January, ABF reported an uncharacteristic decline in like-for-like sales at Primark across the UK and Ireland.

Sales at the store fell by 6% – with Primark saying it expects “low single-digit” sales growth for 2025 as a result – down from mid single-digit levels in November 2024.

Speaking at the time, Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: “If Primark is struggling, you know the UK retail sector is in trouble.”

A British explorer has become the first woman to complete a solo traverse of Canada’s Baffin Island.

Camilla Hempleman-Adams, 32, pulled a sledge 150 miles in temperatures as low as -40C and winds as high as 47mph.

She finished the trek from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pangnirtung in 13 days – a day ahead of schedule.

The largely uninhabited Arctic island is the fifth largest in the world and is in far northwest Canada – between the mainland and Greenland.

Speaking from the Inuit hamlet of Pangnirtung, Ms Hempleman-Adams said: “I’m feeling pretty exhausted, I have very sore feet, but it’s nice to be back in civilisation, just slowly settling back in.

“It’s been a really tough two weeks, but an incredible two weeks.”

“When you go in by yourself, you just have a mindset to keep going,” she said.

“You adapt, you have the mindset that you can’t give up. There is no giving up in those conditions.”

She admitted she had been looking forward to a hot shower.

Her father, adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, flew out to meet her at the finish line.

He said he’d been “really, really worried” due to the strong winds – which increase the chance of frostbite.

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“Being solo, you’ve got to be really on top of your game the whole time. If you just lose concentration for five minutes, it’s a real problem,” he said.

Sir David added: “It’s a fantastic advertisement for females. I mean, we are big, ugly and strong, but she’s half my weight and did it twice as fast as I did.”

Ms Hempleman-Adams also became the youngest British female to ski to the North Pole when she was just 15.