Newborn ‘Killed By Six-Year-Old Who Wandered’ French Maternity Ward

The cause of death of the baby killed after being allegedly dropped by a six-year-old who was left to roam a French maternity ward has been revealed.

Five-day-old Baby Zayneb-Cassandra was discovered lying unresponsive on the floor beside her crib with a traumatic brain injury at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children’s Hospital in the northern city of Lille, France, on Friday, July 11 and succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

Lille’s prosecutor’s office on Friday confirmed that the baby died from trauma ‘consistent with a fall to the floor’.

A boy who was discovered standing on a chair beside her is thought to have plucked the tiny baby from her crib and dropped her on the floor, although her official cause of death had not been revealed.

‘A six-year-old child, a member of another family, was indeed seen near the crib and the child on the floor,’ prosecutors also confirmed. 

The six-year-old youngster was allegedly allowed to wander the wards alone, and witnesses have said that police have opened a criminal investigation into the atrocity that occurred at the Rainbow ward last week.

The boy and the newborn were found by Delphine, a young woman who had just given birth herself, who ran into the room after hearing what she described as a ‘loud bang’.

Baby Zayneb, who was delivered six weeks early by caesarean to parents Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora, was resuscitated twice before she died this week after spending the weekend on life support.

The youngster in issue had been unruly for days and was not being watched over because his mother was still recuperating after giving birth, Delphine subsequently told Le Parisien.

‘He was running around everywhere and had already touched a baby in a stroller,’ Delphine said.

Meanwhile, Karima, a cousin of Zayneb’s grieving father, claimed that hospital staff had been ‘warned’ of the boy’s ‘abnormal behaviour’. 

She also alleged that the boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her ‘my doll’, and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall.

‘The day before, Zayneb had already been found without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia,’ Karima claimed.

Now, questions are mounting as to how the boy was able to acquire access to Zayneb’s crib in the neonatal unit alone, despite being reported as a ‘disruptive presence’ in the hospital.

Karima explained how the boy was running riot in the halls for days after being dropped off at the hospital each morning by his father.

‘The father would drop him off in the ward from 7 am to 8 pm,’ she said.

Zayneb’s grandmother, Fatma, told the Voix du Nord newspaper: ‘The boy would arrive at 7 am and spend all day running up and down the hallways.

‘All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child’s mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms.

‘He also entered Zayneb’s room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.’

‘It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head,’ Fatma concluded.

‘My family is destroyed… My daughter is devastated. Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.’

Zayneb’s distraught father, Mohamed-Hamza, told Le Parisien he doesn’t blame the boy who allegedly caused his daughter’s life-ending injuries, but hit out at the hospital for their lack of care.

‘Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don’t blame the mother; she had just given birth… But the child should have been supervised,’ the 23-year-old said.

Fatma added that she had to push medical staff to arrange psychological support for her inconsolable daughter-in-law after she was informed her child had died.

Together with local prosecutors, the Lille Judicial Police Service’s youth unit launched a criminal inquiry into the incident this week.

The hospital also announced the opening of ‘an internal administrative investigation’.

A spokesperson said: ‘This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children’s Hospital, as well as the other families present.’

A separate statement delivered to the French press acknowledged ‘a particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care’.

‘The thoughts of the University Hospital professionals are first and foremost with the young victim, her family, and her loved ones,’ it read.

The hospital also added that ‘measures to strictly limit visits to the neonatal units of the Lille University Hospital have been taken as a precautionary measure’.

Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora have not yet filed an official complaint, but dismissed the statement.

‘It won’t bring my daughter back… But we’re waiting for answers. There was a breach, and I’m going to fight to identify those responsible.

‘Justice will do its job,’ he told Le Parisien.

The boy’s father had no business dropping him off at the hospital to fend for himself all day, and why on earth did the staff at the hospital allow the situation to continue when it was brought to their attention? It’s the hospital’s responsibility to keep patients and newborns safe.

The child’s father had no right to drop him off at the hospital, and both parents bear responsibility for their failure to give their child the proper care. It’s not the hospital’s job to raise their child; the father most likely had no other option but to go to work.

The hospital should have made it clear that this was inappropriate and would not be allowed.

This should never have been allowed. The hospital is not a babysitter, and siblings should only be allowed during visiting hours with a responsible adult, and then they should leave with that adult.

And why was this child not in school?

Maternelle (Nursery School): Children begin attending maternelle at age 3, and it’s generally considered the start of formal schooling, though it’s not strictly compulsory until age 6. 

We know what was going on here. Men of this ideology don’t believe that childcare is their responsibility. These men only think of themselves and what they want.

Regarding the boy’s parents and the hospital’s behaviour, serious concerns must be addressed.

The father of the newborn is a lot more forgiving than I would have been, so kudos to him. His wife must be inconsolable. What a terrible loss for all the family.

Abbott Accuses Keir Starmer Of Forcing Her Out

Diane Abbott accused Keir Starmer of attempting to expel her from the Labour Party, reinforcing her assertion that anti-Semitism is less severe than anti-Black racism.

The veteran leftwinger, 71, was suspended last night for claiming in a BBC interview that prejudice encountered by Jews was not on par with colour-based discrimination, the second time she has lost the whip for the controversial statement.

She previously made an apology in 2023 after writing to the Observer to say that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism in the way that people of colour do.

Following her suspension, Ms Abbott issued a statement to Newsnight insisting what she said had been ‘factually accurate’, adding: ‘It is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out.’

The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, who is Mother of the House as the longest-serving female MP, was the fifth Labour MP to lose the whip this week as Sir Keir attempts to infuse discipline into his fractious party.

Due to their repeated protests over welfare cuts and other issues, four more people were suspended on Wednesday.

And the decision to investigate Ms Abbott as well prompted allies to attack the leadership. One MP told Politico that Starmer loyalists were acting like ‘Billy Big-B*llocks’ and had wanted 40 MPs to be removed, and another said they agreed with her comments.

However, Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and a leading figure in the party’s left wing, criticised Ms Abbott last night.

She told the Guardian she was ‘disappointed, saying: ‘Diane had reflected on how she’d put that [2023] article together, and said that ”was not supposed to be the version”, and now to double down and say: ”Well, actually I didn’t mean that. I actually meant what I originally said,” I think is a real challenge.’ 

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said it was ‘absolutely not the case’ that Number 10 had wanted to remove the whip.

‘What’s happened is Diane has made some comments which come on the back of previous comments which she made and for which she apologised some time ago,’ he told Times Radio.

He added that there was an internal investigation, and ‘we now need to let this process play out’ so it can be resolved ‘as swiftly as possible.’

The initial comments in 2023 were in a letter to The Observer newspaper, and she withdrew the remarks the same day and apologised ‘for any anguish caused’.

In the interview with BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme, she was asked whether she looked back on the incident with regret.

‘No, not at all,’ she said.

‘Clearly, there must be a difference between racism, which is about colour and other types of racism, because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.

‘You don’t know unless you stop to speak to them or you’re in a meeting with them.

‘But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re black. There are different types of racism.’

She added: ‘I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism, which is about skin colour, is the same as other types of racism.’

Ms Abbott joined Parliament in 1987 and has the honorary title of Mother of the House.

Her suspension coincides with Sir Keir’s purge of unruly backbenchers after a rebellion over planned welfare reforms in which the government made significant concessions to the rebels.

Rachael Maskell, who spearheaded plans to stop the Government’s Bill, had the whip suspended alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff.

Party sources said the decision to suspend the whip was taken as a result of persistent breaches of discipline rather than a single rebellion.

Simply, a racist doesn’t like to be called a racist, and Diane Abbott loves creating barriers, not removing them.

I must admit that I am fed up with their deceitful falsehoods and double standards. They are not as flawless as they portray themselves to be, and they’re all as crooked as an 8-pound note.

How did this woman end up as a Member of Parliament?

She obviously dislikes the UK, so maybe she should relocate elsewhere. Can she take Starmer with her, please?

The ignorance of this woman knows no bounds. The Holocaust ended only 80 years ago and was probably the single most heinous expression of racism ever, primarily against Jews, but not just Jews!

How much longer is this ageing political hack going to be MP?

Has she ever accomplished something worthwhile or constructive?  She just whines and complains, and it’s just proof that these lunatics are running the asylum.

Diane, Jews do experience a different form of racism from any other race. They have been the most oppressed race on earth for the last 2,000 years and are protected for good cause.

What they’ve experienced throughout their history is not comparable to anything else another race has suffered. Their history is much worse, and they have to fight to survive every day.

It’s amazing, those who frequently demand tolerance from others are not so tolerant themselves.

It’s blatantly evident that she enjoys or needs the attention. She’s a nobody with a standing for being a total clown. She’s also a hypocrite who advocated state schools and then sent her son to a private school, saying ‘That we all want the best for our children.’ You might want to Google her son – that went well, not!

Old Burial Site To Be Turned Into Luxury Homes

Residents living in the shadow of a cemetery where developers want to construct luxury homes over dead bodies have blamed their council of ‘taking them for fools’ after it emerged a full exhumation did not take place as promised.

Calls are mounting to stop the council’s plans to build 20 homes over 11 ‘sacred’ gravestones, including one belonging to a baby, at Tunbridge Wells Cemetery in Benhall Mill Road.

Some 15 paupers were buried between 1873 and 1928, and it was previously revealed how Tunbridge Wells Borough Council had moved to exhume all of the bodies in 2020 amid plans to build over the former burial site.

However, a Freedom of Information request, submitted by the campaign group Friends of the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, today reveals that only four of the 15 bodies were exhumed between September 28 and October 6, 2020.

The graves dug for full exhumation with approval from the Ministry of Justice were named as George Langridge, Maria Thomsett, George Cross and George Payne.

It means that at least 11 others, including baby Frances Sarah Day, are still potentially buried beneath the ground at the depot where the council intends to construct the 16 houses and four flats.

The disclosure has sparked accusations that the council has kept residents in the dark, with locals saying it is ‘incredibly disrespectful’ and ‘immoral’ to build over land where not all the bodies have been removed.

Documents seen by MailOnline reveal the Ministry of Justice issued directions for the exhumation, which included the demand: ‘You must remove all human remains from the area hatched on the attached plan prior to starting any development work.’

Following the disclosure that only four bodies had been disinterred, campaigner Justin Quinn told MailOnline: ‘It’s insulting to be told one thing by the local council only to find out via a Freedom of Information request that the facts are very different.

‘Many of us in the local community are emboldened by the sense that, regardless of the questionable moral and legal implications of the development, we don’t like being taken for fools.’

The campaigners only submitted the FOI after those working on the exhumation told elderly neighbours they thought the remains were buried too deep to find.

This allowed them to ‘uncover the truth that there are still people buried in the ground where these houses are to be built’, Mr Quinn added.

‘Our hunch is they are trying to keep it as quiet as possible because they are aware it wouldn’t be a popular if people knew what the situation was.’

Athanasios Sermbezis, whose parents-in-law are buried together in the working part of the cemetery, is among those fighting to stop development on the land which lies within the walls of the working cemetery but is now used as a maintenance depot.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the 79-year-old said: ‘My children were born and live in Tunbridge Wells. My grandchildren were born and live in Tunbridge Wells, so obviously to us the cemetery is a very sacred place. 

‘For them to try and hush us and do it so quickly without really providing the evidence that has been cleared. 

‘My concern is why they are trying to get planning permission and do this when there are people buried there.

‘We think from a religious point of view, it is immoral to build something on the top of a burial, even if it is an old burial. It is not morally right to build something where there are dead bodies.

‘People might say ‘We don’t care, we need houses. Yes, we need houses, but not on top of dead people.’

More than 30 Tunbridge Wells residents have also raised objections to the plans.

One resident, Tamara Galloway, wrote: ‘As someone with my grandparents, both my parents and my uncle buried in Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, I’m appalled by this application to build houses on part of this working cemetery.

‘The investigations carried out recently did not find all the people buried here. Since these graves were unmarked, there may well be others buried here whose names were not recorded.’

Campaigner Robin Parsons, a member of Friends of Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, said: ‘I am horrified that you are proposing to build houses over the area in the Cemetery designated as the burial ground of paupers. We know that not all the bodies have been removed.

‘What you are proposing is incredibly disrespectful. Would you be doing this if famous or influential people were buried there?

‘If the Council wants to erect houses, it should not be at the expense of the cemetery, which remains one of the most beautiful areas of Tunbridge Wells.’

Another resident, Elaine Lawrence, wrote: ‘I particularly can not believe you can build on any burial ground, let alone consecrated ground! Please stop this madness! And think of the huge impact on relatives of those buried, and instead of a sanctuary of peace, it will become a place of noise, dirt and lost habitat for wildlife.’

Mr Sermbezis, who came to the UK from Greece in the early 1970s, said the land earmarked for development lies within the cemetery walls.

He said: ‘The Church of England in the 1800s would not accept dead people in their cemetery if they were catholic, poor, or if they committed suicide.

‘So they created a small space in the corner of the cemetery to put people who did not conform with the church.

‘The land was later donated to the council, who are custodians of it.’

In total, 15 bodies were buried in the small patch of land, including one of a baby. 

In 2019, the then-Conservative council applied for approval to construct 11 houses on the land in the cemetery.

They were told they had to take precautions to disinter all of the bodies and bury them in the main cemetery.

Nevertheless, the now-Liberal Democrat-run council only found four of the 15 bodies.

Mr Sermbezis added: ‘Out of those four bodies, one of those was called George Cross, we didn’t have his name in our records.

‘Either they invented it or they found another body.

‘But their excuse is that they found the bodies. We are saying if you only found four, you have to go back and find the other 11.

‘I am Greek. In Greece, they have just discovered Alexander the Great’s father. And you’re talking about 1000 years ago, they have been missing. Bones don’t disappear that quickly.’

The retired water engineer said that under the Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981, all bodies must be removed from the ground before any new building can be erected.

Campaigners also say this is ‘sacred’ and ‘consecrated’ land which cannot be built upon under planning laws. 

A memorial gravestone was erected, which claimed to have the ‘reinterred remains’ of all 15 paupers. But with only four bodies disinterred, locals say it is designed to portray that ‘it’s all been dealt with’.

The council plans to build 16 homes made up of 10 three-bed houses and six two-bed houses. They also want to construct a flat block of four homes, with two two-bed flats and two one-bed flats.

Plans show they want to build 30 parking spaces, 20 of which will have electric vehicle charging points. 

A council source said the council were given a letter from the Diocese of Rochester, which previously had ecclesiastical responsibility for the cemetery, confirming the ground was not consecrated.

A spokesperson for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: ‘We can confirm that the bodies were exhumed by a specialist exhumation company, the detailed surveys and work took place during autumn 2020 once necessary permissions had been granted. 

‘The found remains were treated with dignity and reburied in a different part of the cemetery.

‘A memorial was erected with the names of the deceased in the cemetery grounds, and all the works were carried out in consultation with the Friends of the Cemetery.’

Cemeteries ought to remain sacred forever, but then some would sell their dead mothers when they smell the colour of money. I don’t even think they’d need to be dead!

Nothing is sacrosanct anymore, and it’s appalling. Values are being discarded, but our cemeteries are places of peace, remembrance and respect. Leave them that way.

It should be in the interest of the developers to come clean and remove the bodies because if they don’t, they could risk damaging the saleability of their buildings. Can you imagine living over the bones of people? That is so disrespectful, and who in their right mind would want to live there?

Unfortunately, when it comes to greed, money, and profit, respect is nonexistent.

This is just another strategy where any governing body, be it local or national, is riding roughshod over the people of this country.

Unfortunately, we are too passive, and they have taken advantage of this, and unless we take back control, it will only get worse. Is Reform the answer? I actually don’t know, but something has got to change.

After Tumble Dryer Fire, Family Flees Tower Block

A family has been left homeless after a fire broke out in a flat on the fourth floor of an 11-storey tower block in Eastwood during the early hours of Monday morning.

Firefighters were summoned to Beaver Tower, located on Mansell Close, at 3.45 am on 14 July. Numerous fire crews from Leigh, Southend, Rayleigh Weir and Basildon were sent to the scene after a tumble dryer caught fire inside an internal balcony area, extending quickly into the lounge.

Station Manager Steve Osborn from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said:

“A tumble dryer had caught fire in an internal balcony and spread to the lounge. Fortunately, the smoke alarm alerted the occupants and they were able to get out and call 999. The incident highlights the importance of having a working smoke alarm to give you and your family an early warning if there is a fire in your home.”

Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire by 4.30 am. Thermal imaging cameras were used to check for any signs of further fire spread within the building.

It has been shown that an accident caused the fire. There were thankfully no reported injuries.

However, the damage was severe. The flat is now uninhabitable due to extensive smoke and fire damage, and the affected family has been forced to seek alternative accommodation.

Station Manager Osborn added:

“Sadly the flat has been left uninhabitable due to the smoke and fire damage. It’s important to make sure you take extra care when using tumble dryers. Don’t use them at night or while unattended, clean the filters after every use and remove items immediately after the cycle has finished.”

Residents of Beaver Tower, built in the 1960s as part of Eastwood’s social housing provision, were said to be “shaken but relieved” that the fire didn’t spread to other flats.

One resident in the block, who asked not to be named, said:

“I woke up to flashing lights of the fire brigade and could smell the smoke. It’s scary to think what could have happened if the fire had spread further.”

Another resident, Ella Alison, said she called 999 after noticing the fire. She told Your Southend: 

“I had taken my dog outside for the toilet and I could smell smoke. I looked up and saw the flames and dialled 999 to get the ambulance and fire service here as quickly as possible. There was a lot of screaming from frightened children.”

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with household appliances and the critical role smoke alarms play in home protection.

Fires caused by tumble dryers remain a serious problem across the UK. According to Home Office fire statistics, there are around 600 fires each year linked specifically to tumble dryers. Many are the result of mechanical faults, clogged filters, or running machines unattended – particularly overnight.

Some of the most high-profile appliance recalls in recent years involved tumble dryers, with Whirlpool at the centre of major safety concerns. In 2019, the government ordered a recall of over 500,000 unmodified Whirlpool dryers following a string of fires.

Fire services across the country regularly urge households to:

Clean lint filters after every use

Avoid overloading the dryer

Never run machines while out or asleep

Fortunately, these apartment buildings did not have the same type of cladding as Grenfell, which would have been disastrous.

Tower buildings have been the scene of numerous fires. If they are aware that these monstrosities are dangerous, why do they even construct them?

Tumble dryers are a major fire risk, so please don’t use them at night or when you’re leaving the house. To be honest, the danger is not worth it, and sadly a ton of councils do nothing to ensure the safety of tenants in high-risk blocks, with no communal fire system or sprinklers, and no evac chair or plan in place for disabled tenants either.

High-rise flats shouldn’t exist, and when will our government intervene to put an end to this?

Over Half Of The 2,000 Schools Don’t Speak English

English is no longer the first language for the majority of students at more than 2,000 schools, MailOnline can reveal.

No children at two primary schools – one in Tower Hamlets and another in Kirklees, West Yorkshire – have English as their mother tongue.

Our statistics, obtained solely under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, show nine in ten pupils don’t speak only English at home at 107 schools.

Bengali is the mother tongue of 92 per cent of the pupils at Kobi Nazrul, the primary school in Tower Hamlets where none of the youngsters exclusively speak English at home. The others speak a slew of other tongues, including Indonesian and Urdu.

At Pentland Infant in Dewsbury – the Kirklees school – the overwhelming preponderance of the youngsters speak either Gujarati (36 per cent) or Panjabi (45 per cent).

When broken down by languages, our FOI demonstrated that Tottenhall Infant School, Enfield had the most elevated rate of Albanian speakers at 18 per cent.

Sheffield’s Netherthorpe Primary School topped the league table for Arabic (54 per cent), meanwhile, Burnley Brow Community School in Oldham had the highest percentage of Bengali speakers (93 per cent).

In terms of Chinese, St Cecilia’s C of E Primary School in Wokingham, Berkshire, had the most elevated rate (28 per cent).

Polish speakers were most heavily concentrated at St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School in Windermere (43 per cent), while Urdu was most common at St Michael’s CofE Primary School in Bolton (58 per cent).

In total, English is no longer the first language for the majority of youngsters at 2,039 schools. This includes deaf schools, where pupils’ first language is BSL.

Nationwide, English isn’t the first language of 1.8 million pupils or one in five pupils.

Fuelled by immigration having spiralled to all-time highs, this has increased from 1.1 million ten years ago.

Critics have expressed worry that the increasing number of languages can cause significant disruptions in schools.

Robert Bates, of the Centre for Migration Control, told MailOnline: ‘It’s a great shame that we have reached this point and it is evidence of successive governments failing to properly address assimilation issues. 

‘Multi-language classrooms are hugely problematic. They inevitably sap the precious time of teachers who are forced to devote additional attention to those with a weaker grasp of the language at the expense of those who only speak English. 

‘The resources used will be lowest-common-denominator teaching devices that provide little from the individuals to excel. 

‘They also foster long-term division, with little incentive for those who do not speak English to improve their fluency. 

‘It is time for a sink or swim approach in which state funding for translation costs are stripped across the board, encouraging adult migrants and parents alike to devote greater attention to improving this pretty basic skill.’ 

Schools have been forced to refocus their resources to meet the requirements of students who have trouble with English.

The strain has been put on their tight budgets due to delivering translated interpretations of resources, adding subtitling and voiceovers, and funding in-class interpreters.

Teachers have previously said schools were under mounting pressure from mass immigration and called on ministers to fund them properly to cope with the array of different languages that pupils speak. 

MailOnline’s research revealed the authority that had the most elevated rate of first-language speakers other than English was Newham (66.4 per cent).

Brent (63.7 per cent) and Harrow (63.6 per cent) rounded out the top three.

On the other hand, our FOI found that 97 per cent of youngsters spoke English as their first language in Northumberland.

Redcar and Cleveland (96.7 per cent) and Cornwall (96.1 per cent) came second and third, respectively.

Experts warn that kids who aren’t taught English before they get to school are less likely to do well.

Ian Mansfield, head of education at Policy Exchange, said: ‘These statistics demonstrate the very real pressure that mass immigration places on public services.’

Nonetheless, other research indicates that students who speak English as a second language can perform better than native speakers and that their presence has little effect on other students’ learning.

Certain languages can be quite challenging to transition from, depending on how similar they are to English both grammatically and phonetically.

Alp Mehmet, of Migration Watch UK, said: ‘English is the glue that brings and holds us together as a country and helps new arrivals to blend in.’

Mr Mehmet, who said he was the only non-English speaker at his east London school growing up in the 1960s, added: ‘If teachers have to focus their attention on children who struggle to speak English because the language spoken at home is different, the time devoted to other pupils is bound to diminish.’

Jim McConalogue, CEO at the think-tank Civitas said: ‘You are effectively seeing the proportion of school-age pupils in England speaking English as an additional language continuing to steadily increase over time.

‘Measures to ensure English language acquisition must therefore be prioritised.

‘There are some short-term challenges that the DoE need to address for students who speak English as an additional language, as a lack of emphasis on English language provision can have a detrimental impact on both these students themselves and their classmates.

‘Many policymakers talk about diversity and inclusion, but relatively little is being done to support English language acquisition.

‘This omission creates deeper problems not only for the individual children but society at large, around a common citizenship, a shared language and identity, belonging and social cohesion.’

Some politicians believe the increased number of immigrants now entering the UK needs to be integrated into society by the government properly.

Shadow education minister Neil O’Brien said: ‘These figures underline just how serious the challenge of integration has become in some parts of the country. 

‘Integration shouldn’t be an afterthought, it must be a priority.

‘The government has totally failed to stop the boats and numbers coming illegally are massively up. 

‘They abandoned our plans to raise income requirements on the family route. And as well as having no plan on immigration they have no plan on integration.’ 

Some campaigners claim the Government needs to have more involvement in schools that have particularly high numbers of foreign language speakers.

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘The Government should publish the data regarding the language of pupils in each school and ensure that non-native speakers do not outnumber native speakers of English.

 

‘This will benefit all pupils and allow our society to become more integrated, harmonious and at peace with itself.’

The FOI data, from the Department of Education, reflects the state of play in January 2024.

It gives schools some leeway in how they code the language of their students.

DoE bosses define the first language as ‘where the pupil has been exposed to a language other than English during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community’.

A Government spokesperson said: ‘This government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity so every child, including pupils who speak a language other than English, can achieve and thrive.

‘Schools are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils with English as an additional language and are responsible for determining what support to put in place.

‘Additional funding is provided to schools to support pupils who need help learning how to speak, read and write English.

‘More widely, to better integrate migrants into their new communities this government will introduce a new English language requirement across a broader range of immigration routes.’

MailOnline’s investigation comes after Keir Starmer last month warned that mass immigration risks making Britain an ‘island of strangers’.

Scrambling to blunt the threat of Reform, the Prime Minister vowed to give Brits what they had ‘asked for time and time again’. He unveiled a package to ‘take back control of our borders’.

The skills threshold will be hiked and rules on fluency in English reinforced under the Government’s strategy to bring down annual influxes by about 100,000. 

This just isn’t England anymore – that is something we call history!

When in our country do what the natives do, speak English!

As expected, this is about England. Wales sometimes gets a mention – Scotland and Northern Ireland may as well not exist.

I’m so happy that all my kids are grown up, but I do worry for the UK and my grandchildren because this is what they have inherited.

Can you picture travelling to another nation and having the government pay for translators? No, neither can I.

And why don’t they learn the language if they live here? There are plenty of night classes here to learn the language, and if they refuse to learn, the only person disadvantaged by their inadequacy is them.

How dare they ask for anything, especially interpreters – makes me laugh, and because we give them interpreters why should they even bother learning the language while we give them everything on a platter?

Southend Airport Plane Crash

Shortly after takeoff, the flight crashed into the ground, sending golfers racing towards a burning plane wreck at Southend Airport.

In the video, a group of panicked men can be seen sprinting across the Rochford Hundred Golf Club, which is adjacent to the airport, in the direction of a massive smoke cloud.

The frantic group seemed to be looking for someone near the ‘fireball’ – afraid they’d been caught in the impact. 

In shortened breaths, one man shouts ‘F***ing hell, who’s there?’

He then seemingly says: ‘F*** is happened here… from the airport on the golf course.’

The man adds: ‘Oi watch the explosion boys, watch the explosion. What the f***. Someone on the tee, who is it, who’s on the tee?’

‘Where – where’s someone on the floor,’ he says dramatically before the video cuts out.

Earlier this afternoon, a small plane ‘nosedived’ and crashed after takeoff in front of stunned families at the Essex airport.

The 40ft-long Beech B200 aircraft was heading to the Netherlands but reached just 175 feet before crashing yards from the runway.

Social media users have started sharing videos of a black smoke cloud rising into the sky, one of which shows nearby passengers boarding another aircraft.

The flight to Lelystad, east of Amsterdam, was scheduled to take off at 3.45 pm but took off 10 minutes late, according to Flightradar. 

It is vague how many people were onboard but the twin-engined turboprop aircraft, thought to be 31 years old, can hold up to 12 passengers and the pilots were seen waving to children as the aircraft was taxiing. 

Fire engines, ambulances, and Essex Police were all present at the scene. The police have established a special phone line for enquiries or information.

Residents are being urged to stay away from the area, which has a vast cordon in place, and several Easyjet flights from Southend have been withdrawn.

It was said that the Rochford Hundred Golf Club was evacuated due to its closeness to the explosion as a ‘precaution’. 

A bartender at the club, which is next door to Southend Airport, said he felt a ‘big heat wave’ before looking up to a ‘massive fireball’ in the sky.

Families have been left distraught after seeing the traumatising impact, including John Johnson who was at the airport with his family when they saw the aircraft crash ‘headfirst into the ground’ and burst into a ‘big fireball’. 

The father said: ‘We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us. About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.’

‘There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.’

Essex Police’s Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: ‘In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need and continue supporting the people of Essex.

‘Please help us keep our emergency lines open by using these specific channels if you’re contacting us about this incident.’

She urged the public to call 0800 0961011, international callers were directed to 0207 1580126 and a Major Incident Public Portal is available.

She added: ‘We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened today and why.

‘I fully appreciate the desire for more information in this matter, and we will share as much as we can, when we can, throughout our work.

‘But it is vital for all involved that this investigation is carried out thoroughly and correctly, and to do that we will all need time.’

One shocked mother who was watching the planes take off from a Holiday Inn viewing deck with her daughter told Metro: ‘It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left.

‘With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground…It didn’t look like there was time to bail out.

‘Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.’ 

Another witness, John, said: ‘The plane took off, and within a few seconds, it had a steep bank to its left. Then it turned into an inverted nosedive, almost, and it crashed into the ground in a big fireball. I don’t know how many people were onboard, I could only see the two pilots before they took off.’ 

The Zeutch Aviation aircraft appears to have taken off in a northeasterly direction at about 120mph and reached about 175 feet, according to Flightradar, but data shows it slowed after leaving the ground and turning to the north.

The aircraft, which is frequently used for mapping and medivac journeys, had completed two trips that day, one from Athens in Greece to Pula in Croatia and then from Pula to Southend, landing in the UK at 2.51 pm.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague has not been contacted for support, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported.

Dani Hill, who lives near Southend Airport, told the Daily Star: ‘I saw the huge fireball from my window. I’m still shaking like mad.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it. Praying all involved are ok if any.’

One user wrote on X: ‘Just witnessed a Beechcraft crash on take-off at Southend airport about 40 minutes after a Cessna also left the runway.

‘Thoughts are with those on the aircraft. Absolutely tragic. Was waving to the aircrew just moments before.’

MP David Burton-Sampson wrote on X: ‘I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport.

‘Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.’

Councillor Matt Dent said: ‘I am aware of the live serious incident ongoing at London Southend Airport. At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. 

‘My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.’

The chairman of Westcliff Rugby Club, which is near Southend Airport, said people at the club did not end up having to evacuate following the plane crash, despite initial reports.

Pete Jones said: ‘That didn’t happen in the end. (Police) changed their mind.

‘We’ve got a big event there, 250 people, and they just said no, you don’t have to evacuate.’

Mr Jones said the aircraft went down about 1,100 yards from the clubhouse and that people there could see smoke in the aftermath.

James Philpott told the BBC: ‘I was just basically in a hut like in the middle of the course and I didn’t even see any plane go down or anything and I just felt like a big heat wave come through and I looked up and there was just a massive fireball basically 100 foot in the sky.

‘It was more the heat really just kind of hit me as I was sitting there, just like feel like I’m baking.’

He continued: ‘I think everyone was just quite shocked, to be honest.

‘People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured or anything.’

Mr Philpott said he and others were collected from the course and taken back to the clubhouse where they remain now at a ‘safe distance’ with the club closed.

Easyjet has withdrawn several flights out of Southend, including a 3.55 pm flight to Paris, a 4.30 pm flight to Alicante, a 5.25 pm flight to Faro, as well as a 5.30 pm flight to Palma de Mallorca. 

A Beechcraft 200 had previously crashed at Southend Airport, killing its pilot in the takeoff in 1987, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives.

An airport spokesman said: ‘We can confirm there has been a serious incident at London Southend Airport this afternoon involving a general aviation aircraft.

‘We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible.’

East of England Ambulance Service said: ‘Four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance have been sent to Southend Airport responding to reports of an incident involving an airplane.

‘This is a live incident and still developing as we work at the scene with our emergency services colleagues and aviation partners.’

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: ‘We were called to an incident involving a light aircraft at Southend Airport today at 3.58 pm.

‘Crews from Southend (two), Rayleigh Weir and Basildon (two), along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended.

‘We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners.

‘Please avoid the area if possible while this work continues.

Zeusch Aviation, a Dutch plane company, has been contacted for comment. 

Is it just me or has there been far too many plane crashes recently?

Can you imagine boarding an aircraft as you watch another coming down in a ball of fire – terrifying and I still don’t believe flying is the safest form of transport.

Deaths From Medieval Disease Reported In US State

An Arizona resident had succumbed to the Black Death, marking the county’s first plague death since 2007. 

Health authorities in Coconino County verified that the patient’s cause of death was pneumonic plague, which is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Still, they did not disclose the person’s name or gender.

Yersinia pestis rod-shaped bacteria in the bubonic form.

Despite efforts to save his life, the patient passed away in the emergency room at Flagstaff Medical Centre the same day he arrived.

An average of seven human plague cases are reported each year in the US, but those cases aren’t always fatal, according to data from the CDC from 2000 to 2023.

To look into the event, the hospital is working with the Arizona Department of Health Services and Coconino County Health and Human Services.

Earlier this week, Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) warned of a prairie dog die-off near Townsend Winona, just northeast of Flagstaff — a possible warning sign of plague activity. However, officials confirmed the recent human fatality is unrelated to this animal outbreak. 

The absence of a link to prairie dogs points to the possibility of an additional exposure source nearby.

The most deadly type of the Black Death, pneumonic plague, is mainly contracted by breathing in saliva droplets released by an infected person or animal when they cough or sneeze.

Infection can also occur from handling infected cats, rodents, or their fleas. It leads to a severe lung infection, rapid breathing, and high fever. 

Antibiotics are now effective in treating the disease, but officials say without prompt treatment the pneumonic plague is fatal about half the time. 

‘Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased,’ said Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Patrice Horstman. 

‘We are keeping them in our thoughts during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family, no additional information about the death will be released.’ 

Plague symptoms strike within one to 8 days, with fever, chills, and brutal fatigue. 

It’s frequently accompanied by agonizing swollen lymph nodes (buboes) in the groin or armpits. Left untreated, it can destroy the blood or lungs.

The plague invokes images of medieval Europe’s darkest age when the Black Death wiped out millions in a gruesome pandemic that reshaped the continent.

Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado account for the majority of infections, according to the CDC. 

In 2017, New Mexico recorded three cases of the plague in people aged 52, 62, and 63. 

Of the three cases, two were bubonic, and one was pneumonic. There are three kinds of human plague, with the third being septicemic, all of which have different manifestations. 

A New Mexico man has become the first US plague fatality since 2020 last year.

After getting Yersinia pestis, the unnamed patient from Lincoln County, which is close to Albuquerque, passed away.

Plague cases in the U.S. are infrequent (fewer than 10 yearly) and mainly occur in the Four Corners region (New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah), where rodents and fleas thrive.

Although deaths have significantly decreased due to modern medications and improved hygiene, the disease is still widespread in wildlife. In high-risk zones, health professionals advise exercising caution.

Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement: ‘NAH would like to remind anyone who suspects they are ill with a contagious disease to contact their health care provider.

‘If their illness is severe, they should go to the Emergency Department and immediately ask for a mask to help prevent the spread of disease while they access timely and important care.’ 

Antibiotics are an easy way to treat it. The main danger is that exposure is so uncommon that people sometimes aren’t aware of it until they get really sick.

The bacterium Yersinia pestis is the cause of three different forms of plague, including bubonic plague.

One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms materialise. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well as swollen and painful lymph nodes appearing in the location nearest to where the bacteria penetrated the skin. Acral necrosis, marked by dark contusion of the skin, is another manifestation. Sometimes, swollen lymph nodes, known as ‘buboes’, may break open.

Pneumonic, septicaemic, and bubonic plague are the three forms of plague that arise from the route of infection.

Infected fleas from small animals are the primary vectors of bubonic plague transmission.

It may also result from exposure to the body fluids of a deceased plague-infected animal. Mammals such as rabbits, hares and some cat species are susceptible to bubonic plague. The bacteria penetrates through the skin via a flea bite and travels through the lymphatic vessels to a lymph node, causing it to swell. Diagnosis is made by finding the bacteria in the blood, sputum, or fluid from lymph nodes.

Prevention is through public health measures such as not handling dead animals in places where plague is common. While vaccines against the plague have been developed, the World Health Organisation advise that only high-risk groups, such as certain laboratory personnel and health care groups, get inoculated.

Several antibiotics are effective for treatment, such as streptomycin, gentamicin and doxycycline.

Without treatment, plague results in the death of 30 per cent to 90 per cent of those contaminated.

Death, if it happens, is normally within 10 days. With treatment, the risk of death is about 10 per cent.

Globally between 2010 and 2015, there were 3,248 documented cases, which resulted in 584 deaths. The countries with the most significant number of cases are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Peru.

Death By Execution

There are compelling arguments on all sides of the complex morality debate surrounding the death sentence.

Because it involves deeply held convictions about justice, human rights, and the role of the state, there is no general agreement on whether it is moral, depending on who you are speaking to.

Opponents of the death penalty argue that it violates the right to be spared from unreasonably severe punishment as well as the fundamental human right to life. Furthermore, even if new evidence proves innocence, an execution cannot be undone once it has been carried out, making the risk of executing innocent people a serious worry.

Timothy John Evans was wrongly accused of killing his wife Beryl and his infant daughter Geraldine at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill. He was hanged in 1950.

It was later discovered that he was not the killer, it was the serial killer John Reginald Christie who lived at the same address. Evans was later pardoned in 1966 – can you imagine the torture he must have gone through with losing his family and then being wrongfully hanged for something he didn’t do?

What are your thoughts on this?

Evans claimed that the murders were committed by his downstairs neighbour, John Christie, the main prosecution witness in the case against him, during his trial.

Christie was eventually captured and executed, but Evans was only partly exonerated, not that it would have mattered, they executed the wrong man and you can’t bring back a life!

Evans was not well educated and missed out on a lot of schooling. He had problems speaking and struggled at school. As a consequence, when he reached maturity Evans possessed low literacy skills, constantly needing others to read long documents to him, although he did have some ability to read simple passages such as in comics, his wages and receipts. He was also inclined to invent stories about himself to boost his self-esteem. A trait that continued into adulthood and interfered with his efforts to demonstrate credibility when dealing with the police and courts.

Evans who was married to Beryl; their marriage was characterised by angry quarrels.

Beryl was alleged to be a poor housekeeper and unable to manage the family finances, while Evans misspent his earnings on alcohol, and his heavy drinking at the time worsened his already short temper.

Physical violence between Timothy and Beryl was observed on multiple occasions, and their arguments were loud enough for the neighbours to hear.

In 1949, Beryl told Timothy that she was pregnant with their second child. Since the family was already struggling financially, Beryl chose to have an abortion. After some initial hesitation, Evans agreed to this course of action.

Studies have revealed that the death penalty is disproportionately applied to people from marginalised communities, including those with lower socioeconomic class, racial minorities and people with mental disabilities. Evans would have been in that socioeconomic status.

Some contend that the death penalty is merely retaliation for horrible actions, while others think it is an immoral kind of retaliation.

I do not agree with any death by execution. Not because I am a God-fearing person but because nobody has the right to take another life because if they do they are no better than the person themselves.

Welcome To The Little Chagos Islands!

A single London council has seen its housing bill for new migrants soar to £18 million after hundreds of Chagos Islanders arrived on top of the asylum seekers it was already paying for.

The two groups combined have put a tremendous strain on Hillingdon Council which is the first port of call for those arriving at Heathrow to set up home in the UK but with no home to go to.

Ian Edwards, Conservative leader of Hillingdon Council, claimed that the huge cost is impacting its ability to provide services and that they have been forced to make a series of crippling cuts that have affected life for residents.

Hillingdon, which is near Heathrow, has at any time an average of 2,700 asylum seekers accommodated in hotels surrounding the airport, one of the highest rates in the country.

Once they are given leave to stay by the Government, they are effectively ‘evicted’ from the hotels, leaving the council legally responsible for looking after them as homeless.

At the same time, about 400 Chagos Islanders have landed in Hillingdon over the past two years creating an even greater unsustainable demand on local services as the council also has a statutory obligation to house and provide for them.

Sir Keir Starmer gave control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in May after 161 years of British rule, in a deal that was heavily criticised for compromising the security of a military base that will remain on the islands.

Mr Edwards revealed that the council is demanding that the Labour government refund the nearly £18 million it has already spent over the last five years and provide extra funding for the future because supporting asylum seekers and Chagos Islanders is a ‘national responsibility.’ The issue ‘shows no signs of going away.’

He told MailOnline: ‘£18 million is a lot of money and it’s not right that the residents of Hillingdon are expected to pick up this tab.

‘The Government should do the right thing. Our reserves are being drained and it’s threatening our ability to provide services to residents. This is a national problem, and the burden needs to be carried more equitably.’

He added: ‘We have one of the highest rates of asylum seekers in the country and now we have the issue of the Chagos Islanders. I accept that the Government has a difficult job, but they are not recognising that it’s causing harm to our borough and are not doing anything to prevent that harm.’

Breaking down the figures, he said that £16 million has been spent on asylum seekers over the past five years while between July 2024 and March 2025 supporting British Chagossians cost them over £508,000. Another £1.2 million has been set aside for the remainder of this financial year as more arrivals continue to pile in.

Confronted with a financial crisis, the council has implemented £34 million worth of cuts this year. This has included giving up running three golf courses and a local theatre, which have been handed over to the private sector; cutting non-essential services and introducing a controversial £70 per year garden waste collection charge which has outraged numerous residents.

A popular council-run garden centre has also been closed while some libraries have been relocated to make savings. The council tax has also been increased by nearly 3 per cent.

Mr Edwards said: ‘We are not cutting essential services, but we are having to make savings and see where we can increase income. This is a direct result of two things: the Government increasing National Insurance contributions for employers and the asylum crisis.’

He revealed that last year alone, the council spent just over £5 million on asylum seekers which is more than what it spent on libraries and cultural services. It is expected to spend the same amount next year.

The majority of the £18 million the council has already spent over the past five years has been for accommodation with asylum seekers and Chagos Islanders put up in private housing.

Council figures show that this year, an average of 28 asylum seekers per week requested housing from the council after being ‘evicted’ from their hotels.

Chagos Islanders, who are British nationals, are placed in housing practically as soon as they get to the borough, but they have also benefitted from other forms of aid, such as prepaid cards, necessities, and support with opening bank accounts and applying for Universal Credit.

Even though many Chagos Islanders and asylum seekers have left the island nation, the council is still in charge of making sure that their rent is paid in full if their benefits are insufficient to cover the entire sum.

In addition, the council had to provide private landlords hundreds of millions of pounds to entice them to rent out their homes.

Mr Edwards added: ‘We place these people in private accommodation usually outside of London, but we still have to pay for part of this if their housing benefit isn’t enough to cover the rent. We simply don’t have the housing stock to keep them within the borough and rents are usually cheaper outside the capital.’

The residents of the Chagos Islands, a British overseas territory, were evicted between 1967 and 1973 to make a joint UK-US military base. In 2022, a law was passed permitting them to become British citizens and settle in the UK.

Chagos Islanders, who are legally allowed to enter the country usually do so through Heathrow and present themselves for help at the most convenient council, which happens to be Hillingdon.

One of the city’s quintessential suburban neighbourhoods, Hillingdon is situated in the far west of the capital and is mostly composed of semi-detached houses with tree-lined streets.

Celebrities like James Corden and Ronnie Wood were born in the borough, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was once the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

However, borough inhabitants complained that their lives were being ruined and were incensed at the enormous sum of money the council had to pay for Chagos Islanders and asylum seekers.

Sue Sibley, 69 said: ‘It’s not just that we are being made to pay for these people because we have not created this problem. Central government should be picking up the bill, the council leader is right.

‘Council services are not as good as what they used to be, and people are angry about things like the garden waste charge. I also loved going to the council-run garden centre but sadly, that’s closed. I’ve got nothing against asylum seekers or Chagos Islanders but why are we picking up the bill for them?’

Penny Bailey, 63 who suffers from Parkinson’s said: ‘I’m disgusted by the amount of money the council is having to spend while we suffer. Over the years, all we’ve seen is the council tax go up and services cut. How about looking after us first? Why is the Labour Government not helping us pay for these people?’

Dan Bellini, 35 said: ‘I’ve worked in Hillingdon for more than five years and over that time I’ve seen it go downhill. I think the Government have let things get out of control with the asylum issue and it’s had a negative effect on our lives.

‘People seem to be coming from all over the world and none of them seem to be that bothered about actually contributing. British people feel neglected, the cost of living is very expensive, council services are rubbish and life has become an uphill battle.’

Brian Mulkeen, 65 who has lived in the borough all his life said: ‘I’m very angry about a lot of things but especially the garden waste charge. What’s it going to be next? I don’t have a problem with the Chagos Islanders because at the end of the day, they are British, and we probably owe them.

‘But why are we paying for all these asylum seekers? It’s affected the quality of our lives and I don’t understand why nobody is helping Hillingdon with the cost of looking after them.’

Mr Edwards revealed that the council had not ruled out taking legal action against the Government if it does not provide extra funds and reimburse it for what has already been spent.

He said: ‘We want to sort this matter out amicably but if the Government rejects our demands, then we will consider our legal options.’

A request for comment has been sent to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.

When is this crazy going to stop? Upon the departure of Starmer and his idiots!

Our government needs to grow a spine and they need to start saying no! No freebies, no benefits, no housing, no hotels, in fact, no to everything.

Our government are hopeless but don’t forget that the Conservatives had a massive part to play in this as well.

When will the next Guy Fawkes courageously step forward? Because let’s face it, Starmer and his pals prove to be imbeciles day after day.

The Tragedy Of Superman’s Original Lois Lane

When Superman debuted in cinemas in 1978, she and Christopher Reeve took to the skies with their heroines in nightgowns, capturing the hearts of audiences around the world and the history of film.

Actress Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane – an assortment of journalistic feistiness and besotted comic book-girlfriend vulnerability – became immediately iconic and recognizable.

The world couldn’t get enough of the ethereal Canadian beauty, who starred in four of the franchise’s blockbusters and appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and in TV interviews without shoes.

As legions of fanatics envied her aerial on-screen adventures with one of Hollywood’s then-hottest heartthrobs, however, Kidder was wrestling with a lifetime of what she dubbed ‘mind flights.’

She would only come to accept a bipolar diagnosis later in life, but Kidder, from childhood, was plagued by mental struggles that would at one point in the 1990s leave her homeless and near toothless in California, committed to psychiatric care and searching through garbage for food.

Kidder later marked the painful episode ‘the most public freak-out in history,’ telling People in 1996 that she’d been ‘like one of those ladies you see talking to the space aliens on the street corner in New York.’

She would later become a passionate mental health advocate – by opposing conventional medicines. And Kidder would continue to endure a string of highs and lows before her May 2018 death, ruled a suicide after a friend found her body in tiny Livingston, Montana – where she’d lived for years and was reportedly trying to support drug addicts at the time of her demise.

‘It’s a big relief that the truth is out there,’ Kidder’s only child, Maggie, said after the coroner ruled three months later that the actress had died ‘as a result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose’.

‘It’s important to be open and honest so there’s not a cloud of shame in dealing with this,’ her daughter added.

While many have attributed Kidder’s downfall to the ‘Superman curse’ – with her costar, Reeve, left paralyzed by a horsing accident before he died in 2004 – Kidder herself had been open and frank for decades about her struggles.

‘The reality of my life has been grand and wonderful, punctuated by these odd blips and burps of madness,’ she told People.

She grew up in about a dozen towns in Canada’s northwest provinces, one of five children born to a Canadian mother and an American father who moved often for work. From an early age, she said, she knew her brain saw life differently.

‘I’ve always called it “keeping the monsters in,”’ she told People. ‘I knew it wasn’t socially acceptable at a high school dance to talk about the time you got homogenized with pine cones.’

Her first suicide attempt was at 14 after a boyfriend dumped her.

‘It never occurred to anyone to send me to a shrink,’ she told the outlet. ‘I was just a teenager with a broken heart.’

She was attracted to performance, though ‘Nobody ever encouraged me to be an actress,’ Kidder told Rolling Stone. ‘It was taken as a joke. I just knew I didn’t want to stay in a small town, get married and have babies … I wanted to eat everything on the world’s platter, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach.’

After a year at university, Kidder decided to satisfy her passion and set off for Toronto, finding acting work in Canada and earning a name before moving to Los Angeles to star with James Garner in the 1971 TV series Nichols.

She continued to work steadily, landing roles that included the film adaptation of writer Thomas McGuane’s Ninety-two in Shade. The married novelist directed it himself and cast Kidder to play his female lead; despite his wife and mistress, the pair struck up a romance.

He got divorced, Kidder moved to Montana and they welcomed daughter Maggie in 1975, marrying the following year.

‘I decided, for the first time in my life, I was going to commit to a man, be a wife and mother,’ she told Rolling Stone. ‘It was the only relationship in which I said, “I’m going all the way, even if it means my own self-destruction.”

‘But I didn’t really commit – it was sort of half-assed. I mostly sat around and wept in closets. It was a great lesson.’

Kidder quickly tired of her rural life and missed acting; she called up LA agent Rick Nicita out of the blue while still living in Montana.

‘She said, “I’m coming back to the business, and I want you to be my agent okay?”’ he told Rolling Stone.

‘I said, “I think we ought to meet and talk about it; we hardly know each other.’ And she said, “Hey, let’s just do it.” So I had her fly in and sign agency contracts.’

She landed Superman after sparking unmistakable chemistry with Reeve, though she admitted later she’d found him ‘dorky’ upon meeting. The role catapulted her to fame – and released her from marriage, with she and McGuane divorcing – but stardom came at a cost.

‘I was being what I call “Margot Moviestar,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 1997. ‘Or trying to be, very badly. After Superman came out, I found it very difficult and hard to deal with.

‘There is a sense of having to put on this phoney face when you go out in public. I wasn’t very good at it, and it filled me with anxiety and panic.’

She partied wildly, dated a series of high-profile names – from Pierre Trudeau to Richard Pryor – and generally earned a reputation for being erratic, charismatic and eccentric.

‘I’ve never done anything in moderation in my life,’ she told Rolling Stone in 1981. ‘I’ve always been addicted to excess. I mean, this whole concept of moderation is something I yearn for.’

She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1988 but refused to accept it nor take the recommended treatment of lithium.

‘It’s very hard to convince a manic person that there is anything wrong with them,’ she told People. ‘You have no desire to sleep. You are full of ideas.’

A car accident injury in 1990, sustained while filming in Vancouver, threw another twist in Kidder’s life and mental health. However, left partly paralyzed, she had surgery two years later – but the damage and recovery left her bankrupt, as well as addicted to pills and alcohol.

‘Nothing was ever stable for Maggie. Manics run through a lot of money, so there was no financial security,’ she told People.

At the same time, in less than ten years, Kidder married and divorced three times – including a six-day union with actor John Heard.

‘I was whipping through husbands a mile a minute,’ she told the magazine.

She was unattached and writing her memoirs in 1996 when a manic episode catapulted her back into the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Her computer crashed, she lost her work and ‘went from really distressed to absolute delusion,’ she told People.

She flew to LA to see a computer specialist who couldn’t help and, while waiting for her return flight at the airport, told the magazine that she became convinced her ex-husband and the CIA were ‘trying to kill her’ and screamed ‘I know you’re looking at me!’ at passersby.

Increasingly irrational and paranoid, Kidder threw away her purse, ‘took off running’ and made it 20 miles downtown, sleeping ‘in yards and on porches in a state of fear’ and hacking off most of her hair.

She turned up days later, filthy and dishevelled and in what police called ‘obvious mental distress,’ in the backyard of a Glendale homeowner who called 911.

After a short hospitalization, the actress gave a high-profile interview to Barbara Walters and discussed her bipolar diagnosis, then turned to mental health advocacy and even pro-choice activism.

‘If I were to go into the real facts about the five days I was wandering around LA, you’d have to write a book,’ she told the LA Times in the year after the episode.

‘Because when one is manic, one of the things that happens is the brain is speeding at such a rate that the messages going from the neuron across the synapse are going so quickly because your brain floods with something called dopamine. Every part of your mind is on red alert, so you are remembering everything you’ve ever read and everything that’s happened in your life, and you’re speeding so quickly, so within those five days I lived five years.’

Endeavouring to rectify some reports, she said: ‘I wasn’t cowering with a knife or anything, I was sleeping in this woman’s leaf pile in her backyard when she came out to do her gardening, and I didn’t want to frighten her, so I said, “Hi, excuse me, hello, I’m in trouble.’”

She returned to Montana and, by 2005, was describing herself as ‘a grandmother with my dogs and nice friends here in the Rocky mountains.

‘Ever see the movie A River Runs Through It? That’s where I live,’ she told The Guardian. ‘It’s beautiful, no two ways about it.’

She was still, however, eschewing conventional therapies for her mental health problems.

‘You take the cards you’re dealt, and I got better,’ she said. ‘I’m now ferociously healthy in body and mind. You couldn’t pay me to go near a psychiatrist again. Stopping seeing them was my first step to getting well.’

Kidder was a vocal supporter of orthomolecular medicine – an alternative medicine focused on balancing vitamins and nutrients to support health without drugs – and even narrated a documentary about the approach.

Her final years, however, appeared marked by further struggles.

The actress-cum-activist’s home in Livingston, Montana, was taken over by meth-heads who she was trying to ‘fix’, close friends told Daily Mail in the immediate aftermath of her demise.

Between August 2016 and her death in May 2018, officers were summoned to her home 40 times on reports of people trespassing, theft and other disturbances, according to police records released under a public records request.

The calls include responses by ambulances five times in seven months, including at the time of her death.

Drug addicts ended up cooking methamphetamine in her basement and stealing her valuables, they added.

‘Margie was a real bad judge of people,’ environmental activist Louisa Willox said, using the name that the Superman star was universally known by around the town, which has attracted dozens of counter-culture characters over the years.

‘Towards the end, I went round to help her with her medications and I couldn’t read the instructions on the bottle because the ink had run.

‘She told me that was because she had to hide the pills in her bra to stop these guys stealing them.’

Kidder was discovered dead in her home in Livingston on May 13, 2018, at the age of 69.

‘It’s a very unique sort of grief and pain,’ her daughter told the Associated Press that month. Knowing how many families in this state [Montana] go through this, I wish that I could reach out to each one of them.’

It’s a feeling her mother, so vocal about addressing mental health, regardless of the means, would probably have greatly appreciated.

Kidder had been aware of her struggle to balance passion and stability for as far back as she could remember – but her appreciation for life radiated through in so much of what she did and said.

In the early days of her international fame, in the wake of the Superman box office behemoth, she described to Rolling Stone ‘a constant sense of conflict: if I think about what I believe is important, I’ll be crazy; and if I don’t think about it, I find myself denying, denying, denying in order to be normal.’

Her daughter, seven months after Kidder’s death on Mother’s Day in 2018, was reflective as she spoke to The New York Times. She thought about her mother’s ups and downs, her highs and lows, her private and public personas and her legacy.

‘What made her even more extraordinary than people understand is that she did all that she did while fighting those battles,’ Maggie said.

The fact is that mental illness is terrible, but it’s still not classed as essential as physical health.

She had her struggles, but for those who remember ‘Superman’, she will always be the original ‘Lois Lane.’

She was such a natural beauty, and she was brilliant in ‘Superman’. She was the typical girl next door and I’m sure numerous girls wanted to be her.

Superman, all three of them were great movies of their time. They were just magic. Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder were meant for the part. The movie was funny but not goofy or juvenile, and that was the secret.

Margot Kidder is still and will always be the definitive ‘Louis Lane’ and she was the ideal foil to Reeve. Brando, Hackman, Ford and Stamp all give the movie gravitas and the effects were groundbreaking for the time, and then, of course, you have that extraordinary score by John Williams.

Welcome to Hollywood where some dreams come true and some don’t!

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