FORMER BRIT BOXING CHAMP JAILED OVER 'BITTING EX'S BREAST' AND PUNCHING WOMAN IN PARKING ROW

Former British boxing champion John Murray, who retired in 2014, has been jailed after attacking two women with one coming after a row broke out over a drive being blocked

John Murray is now behind bars after the attacks on two women (Image: Manchester Evening News)

A former British and European lightweight champion has been jailed over attacking his ex-partner and punching another woman after he blocked her drive.

John Murray, 41, originally from Levenshulme, Manchester, enjoyed a successful career in the sport before being forced to retire due to injury in 2014.

During his career, he took on stars such as Anthony Crolla, and fought on the undercard at the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather world title clash in Las Vegas in 2007.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard how the former British and European lightweight champion was now working as a delivery driver in 2023, when the attack on one women occurred.

On January 20, Murray launched an unprovoked attack on a woman after a row broke out after he was accused of blocking her drive.

John Murray is a former British and European lightweight champion (Image: Supplied)

The victim had her two children in the back of her car when she was punched in the face after she challenged Murray and another woman, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Prosecutor Eleanor Myers said. "Her children were screaming 'get off my mum' as her partner came to help."

Murray then punched the woman again before driving off and reportedly hitting her car as he left, the court heard.

The woman was left with a broken nose and in a victim statement said said: "This changed me as a person, I do not feel like I am the same person I was. I cannot leave the house on my own any more."

Ms Myers told the court the second incident occurred on July 15, 2023, after he split with his former partner.

Murray reportedly went to her home to discuss a family issue and the victim was woken by banging at her door. This caused her to look through the window but she did not see anything.

The prosecutor said: "She didn't see anything outside that could have caused the banging, so turned her back. As she did, the defendant was coming in through the window.

"She ran from the room and he followed her to the bedroom. He walked up to her and strangled her with both of his hands around her neck. He held onto her for 45 seconds."

The court heard how the woman shouted at him and pleading for him to let go. But Murray grabbed her hair and repeatedly punched her in the head.

She ran downstairs and was followed by Murray. He then threw her on the sofa and jumped on top of her, before biting her breast.

Murray was working as a delivery driver at the time of once incident (Image: Manchester Evening News)

The woman attempted to calm him down, before punching her again and kicking in the stomach.

"She was gasping for air and begging him to stop," Ms Myers added.

After the attack, Murray said: "Look what you made me do - look at your neck." The woman ran outside as he shouted: "Get here you s**g."

A passer-by stepped in as Murray threw two unsuccessful punches at him. The woman suffered bruising to her breast, neck and face; and a cut to the back of her ear.

In a victim statement, she said: "This incident has really shocked me. I never expected him to be so horrible in my life, and I hope I don't have to again. I don't feel safe in my own home."

Murray, of Lichfield Walk, Romiley, earlier pleaded guilty to strangulation; assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and assault by beating. He was jailed for three years and banned from contacting his ex-partner for seven years under the terms of a restraining order.

- Simon Hamalienko & Amy Walker

SHAWN KEMP SENTENCED TO 30 DAYS HOME CONFINEMENT ... In Parking Lot Shooting Case

Shawn Kemp Sentenced To 30 Days Home Confinement In Parking Lot Shooting Case

Shawn Kemp has been sentenced to 30 days in jail in his parking lot shooting case -- though the former NBA superstar will be allowed to serve the time at home.

A Pierce County judge handed down the ruling late Friday afternoon ... and the ex-Seattle Supersonic looked stoic as he learned his fate.

Kemp appeared at the proceedings in a navy suit jacket, tan pants, white shirt and light blue tie ... and told the courtroom just before he was sentenced that he was "very apologetic" for the behavior that led to prosecutors filing the criminal charges against him.

The case, of course, stemmed from an incident at a Tacoma shopping mall back in 2023, when Kemp was accused of firing a gun at two men who had allegedly stolen some of his items -- including a phone.

Kemp had at first pleaded not guilty and argued he was acting is "self-defense." But in May, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of assault in the second degree to close out the matter.

Prosecutors had been seeking a sentence of nine months behind bars for Kemp. The ex-basketball player's attorneys argued he should receive no additional time.

Kemp had several friends supporting him in court, including former NFL superstar Marshawn Lynch.

The judge admonished Kemp for his actions, saying, "I cannot state strongly enough this could have been easily avoided by simply walking away. Property is replaceable, human life is not." He also sentenced Kemp to 12 months of community custody -- which is a form of supervised release in Washington -- in addition to the 30 days of home confinement.

Kemp will also have to serve 240 hours of community service.

- TMZ Sports 

JENSON BUTTON THIEF JAILED AFTER £250,000 ROBBERY

Jenson Button on Sky F1 duty at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix

A man who stole a suitcase containing £250,000 worth of jewellery and designer handbags from Brittny Button, the wife of 2009 World Champion and Sky F1 pundit Jenson Button, has been jailed.

Mourad Aid, 41, snatched Mrs Button’s bag outside St Pancras station in London in February after the couple had returned from a city break in Paris.

Thief jailed after robbery of Jenson Button’s wife

Aid, pounced when Mr Button, had his back turned while helping a chauffeur load their belongings into a car.

CCTV footage showed Aid taking a Goyard case containing jewellery from her wedding and heirlooms she had intended to pass to her daughter, as well as two Kelly handbags worth around £70,000, on February 13.

Aid was arrested by plain-clothed police officers on February 17, four days after stealing the case, and pleaded guilty to theft at Westminster Magistrates’ Court two days later on February 19.

None of Mrs Button’s goods, totalling £383,037.92, have been recovered.

The Algerian also pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods following the theft of a Rimowa cabin suitcase belonging to James Humphrey Evans in November last year.

Aid has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for the two offences.

It emerged during the case that Aid was in the United Kingdom illegally, having stayed in Britain after his six-month tourist visa had expired in 2019.

He had also been violating his bail conditions, which barred him from King’s Cross Station, on the day of his robbery of Mr and Mrs Button.

Aid will be deported back to Algeria when his sentence has been completed.

In a victim statement on Friday, Mrs Button said that the incident had “stripped away her sense of safety, security and peace of mind.”

She also posted a meme via Instagram’s story function, which allows images and video clips to be posted for a 24-hour period, following the sentencing on Friday.

The meme read: “Being nice is overrated. Just find a good lawyer and choose violence.”

As previously reported by PlanetF1.com last month, Mrs Button revealed that she and her husband, who reside in the United States, have “no interest” in returning to the UK after the robbery.

She told the Mail: “I was kind of shocked. How like unsecure everything felt [in London], just so many people, so chaotic.

“I thought: ‘Should I have brought my carry-on back here with me?’ Because Jenson can be a little bit like not super careful, too trusting and a little too relaxed.

“He had his back on mine and a guy just came and swooped it. We didn’t even see him do it, so they were probably watching us.

“We had no idea until Jenson went: ‘Wait where is your bag?’ And he raced off trying to find it, but he [the thief] was already gone.

“I just started crying, I was a little upset with Jenson because I felt like he kind of dropped the ball a little but its not his fault someone was watching us.

“He also did get his bag stolen a few months ago in a car park in London.

“It definitely was shocking that I just didn’t think.

“I’m normally pretty cautious when I’m out in public and travelling, but I just didn’t think that there were gangs literally just waiting for people and watching.

“I’ve heard countless stories. When we first started dating we would go to London, and it was such like a nice place to be, and now it just feels very kind of dark and scary.

“My husband and I, we really have no interest going back to the UK and it’s a shame, because we will have to go back for family and work.

“It just feels so unsafe and doesn’t feel how it once was and it’s just unfortunate because that’s where my children’s grandmother and aunts live.”

- Oliver Harden

LI TIE; EX-EVERTON PLAYER AND CHINESE COACH JAILED FOR BRIBERY

Li Tie, who coached the Chinese men's national team between 2020 and 2021, has been jailed for 20 years for bribery. Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images

The former coach of the Chinese men's national football team has received a 20-year-prison sentence for bribery, Chinese state media reported on Friday.

Li Tie, who once played in the Premier League as a midfielder for Everton, was found guilty of "leveraging his positions" as head coach of the national football and national selection team to receive bribes of more than 50 million yuan (£5.4 million), by a court in the city of Xianning in the central Hubei province.

In exchange for bribes, the court said, Li would select certain individuals for the national team as well as help clubs win competitions and sign players.

Li coached the Chinese men's team between January 2020 and December 2021. He was also charged with taking bribes between 2015 and 2019, when he worked for clubs Hebei China Fortune and Wuhan Zall.

The investigation into Li's conduct began in November 2022 and he pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption in March of this year.

The 47-year-old apologised for his offences in an anti-corruption documentary aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in January.

"I'm very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path," Li said. "There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football."

Li played in England for Everton from 2002 to 2006 and with Sheffield United from 2006 to 2008, making 34 appearances in the Premier League along the way.

His sentencing is the latest in a series of high-profile cases involving Chinese football, with President XI Jinping cracking down on corruption.

In March, the former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan, was sentenced to life in prison for bribery. Earlier this week, three other CFA officials received prison sentences for bribery, according to state media.

- Associated Press

FORMER TURKISH CLUB CHIEF IMPRISONED FOR PUNCHING REFEREE

Faruk Koca punched Halil Umut Meler in the face last December. Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images

A Turkish court sentenced a former top-flight football club executive to more than three and a half years in prison on Monday for attacking a referee on the pitch at the end of a league game last season.

Former Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face after the final whistle of a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig game against Caykur Rizespor last year.

Meler, who fell to the ground, was also kicked in a melee that occurred when fans also invaded the field after Rizespor scored a last-minute equaliser on Dec. 11, 2023.

The incident had caused global outrage and prompted the Turkish Football Federation to suspend all league games for several weeks.

The court in Ankara convicted Koca of "intentionally wounding a public official" and sentenced him to three years and seven months in prison, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The court also convicted Koca of threatening the referee and of violating laws aimed at preventing violence in sports but suspended the sentences.

Three other people who were also on trial for attacking the referee, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years, the agency reported.

Koca, who resigned as club president soon after the incident, is expected to appeal the verdict. He was briefly jailed last year before being released on bail.

Earlier, lawyers representing the defendants requested their acquittal, claiming that they had committed the crime under "unjust provocation," Anadolu reported.

Ankaragucu was fined 2 million Turkish Lira ($59,000) and forced to play five home games without fans.

The referee was briefly hospitalised with a small fracture near his eye.

- Associated Press 

BRITTNEY GRINER STILL ADJUSTING AFTER RUSSIAN PRISON ORDEAL. WNBA STAR ORDEALS EXPERIENCE IN BOOK

AP Photo 

 Brittney Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago.

Life isn't what it once was for the perennial WNBA All-Star.

The 6-foot-8 center looks different and has different priorities. Gone are her familiar dreadlocks that couldn't be maintained during her incarceration. She regularly sees a therapist to help her cope after being imprisoned for 10 months. And since her release, Griner has been an advocate for the return of other Americans detained overseas.

She has met with President Joe Biden twice since her release, including once last month in Phoenix.

“Got to talk to him about a couple of people and just keep it on the forefront of everyone’s mind,” the Phoenix Mercury star said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “You want to get exposure and that keeps it on the forefront of people’s minds. Keep people accountable.”

Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

She shares details about the harrowing experience in her new book — “Coming Home” — which comes out Tuesday.

AP Photo 

Griner hopes one takeaway for anyone who reads the book will be a vivid picture of what detainees have to endure. She said it's why it took her all of last season to write it with Michelle Burford.

“I didn’t leave anything out from the detainment, to being over there, the conditions. As much as we could fit into a book, we basically did,” Griner said. “People will be shocked at some of the things.

"I hope it brings a little bit more of an understanding to the conditions that detainees go through.”

Griner says it is important people have a clear picture of what it's like for those Americans not home yet, including Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, so that no one gives up the fight.

“It took everyone to come together to bring me home,” she said. Government officials "have to make really hard decisions.”

Griner, who first met President Biden at the White House Correspondent's dinner in 2023 a few months after her return to the U.S., said she and her WNBA teammates must keep the momentum going to get everyone home.

“How are we going to do it? Bringing in families, playing videos, give them airtime?" she said. "Maybe someone that doesn’t know, sees (the book) and they write a letter to Congress that tips over the scale to get someone home.”

Griner said her days of playing basketball overseas during the WNBA offseason are over.

Though many WNBA players still play in international leagues to supplement their league salaries, Griner said she is done, except with USA Basketball. She hopes to be on the Olympic team at the Paris Games this summer, and the odds are in her favor that will happen.

AP Photo

Griner had played in China for a few years during the WNBA offseason, before making the move to Russia — where she had played since 2015 before her arrest.

It’s not just her ordeal in Russia, however, that is going to keep her home. Griner's wife, Cherelle, is expecting the couple’s first child.

“The only time I’ll go overseas is with Team USA,” Griner said. “I need to be in the states. About to be a parent. Last thing I want to do is be in and out of my kid’s life. I want to be there for everything. I don’t want to uproot my family and take them overseas with me. It’s too much.”

Griner, who has been an advocate for mental health for the past decade, said she sees a therapist regularly — something she did for several years before she went to Russia — and it helps her process what she endured while in prison.

“They are instrumental to my mental health,” Griner said about her sessions. “Everyone can benefit from having someone to talk to. Someone outside of their every day life. It just helps to have a different perspective on life from someone.

"That way if you do feel nervous or struggling with something, it’s very beneficial.”

The 33-year-old took a mental health break for several days last year during the WNBA season, missing three games. She'll begin her 12th year in the league May 14.

Griner is looking forward to it after the welcome she received in her return last year. One of the only positives that Griner will take away from her ordeal was the outpouring of support she received from people in the form of letters they wrote to her in prison.

“The letters were amazing from the fans, teammates, opponents, GMs, they all meant so much to me,” she said. “It was very dark at times, especially going through the trial. When I was in isolation for weeks, it was an emotional rollercoaster and those letters made me remember that I wasn't forgotten.”

- DOUG FEINBERG

BRITTNEY GRINDER 'WANTED TO TAKE MY LIFE L' WHILE JAILED IN RUSSIA

 

Brittney Griner. PHOTO: GOOD MORNING AMERICA/YOUTUBE

PHOENIX -- WNBA star Brittney Griner said she thought about killing herself during her first few weeks in a Russian jail after her 2022 arrest on drug-related charges.

Griner spoke for the first time about her monthslong detention in Russia during an hourlong interview that aired Wednesday night on ABC's "20/20."

Griner's memoir, "Coming Home," is set to be released on May 7.

Griner was detained after arriving at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis.

"I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks," Griner told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I felt like leaving here so badly."

She decided against it in part because she was afraid the Russian authorities wouldn't release her body to her family.

Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S. Griner was eventually freed in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner said before she was released, she was forced to write a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"They made me write this letter. It was in Russian," she said. "I had to ask for forgiveness and thanks from their so-called great leader. I didn't want to do it, but at the same time I wanted to come home."

She was disappointed when she got on the plane for the trade and Paul Whelan, another American who has been detained in Russia, wasn't with her.

"I walked on and didn't see him, maybe he's next. Maybe they will bring him next," she said. "They closed the door and I was like, are you serious? You're not going to let this man come home now."

Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury. The WNBA season begins on May 14.

- Associated Press

NEPAL'S LAMICHHANE SENTENCES TO EIGHT YEARS IN JAIL AFTER RAPE CONVICTION

A court in Nepal sentenced the country's highest-profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in jail on Wednesday after he was convicted of raping an 18-year-old woman.

His lawyer said he would launch a higher court appeal.

Lamichhane, 23, has been the face of cricket in Nepal and the only player from the Himalayan country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues in India, Australia, Pakistan and West Indies.

SOUTH AFRICA'S 'BLANE RUNNER' PISTORIUS GETS PAROLE A DECADE AFTER KILLING GIRLFRIEND

Reuters 

Jailed South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was granted parole on Friday more than 10 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, and will be released on Jan. 5, authorities said.

Pistorius - known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs - shot the 29-year-old model and law graduate through a bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013, and later repeatedly told courts he had mistaken her for an intruder.

The Steenkamps' family lawyer said on Friday they were not surprised by the parole decision, issued after Pistorius had completed a set portion of his sentence.

But in the run-up to Friday's hearing, Reeva Steenkamp's mother June released a statement saying she was not convinced Pistorius had been rehabilitated.

"Rehabilitation requires someone to engage honestly with the full truth of his crime and the consequences thereof," her statement read.

She said she had forgiven him "long ago as I knew most certainly that I would not be able to survive if I had to cling to my anger".

MAX VERSTAPPEN FILMING SPEEDING IN AN ASTON MARTIN SUPERCAR

Getty

Max Verstappen appeared to breach the French speed limit by 18mph (30km/h) in a video filmed by one of his entourage during the summer break.

The Dutch driver was captured driving his Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, steering the vehicle one-handed while playing with the settings and dials on the steering wheel. The video was posted to social media by a close friend of the Dutchman.

FORMER CONMEBOL PRESIDENT NAPOUT TO BE REALEASED FROM U.S. JAIL - LAWYER

 

Reuters 

Former South American soccer boss Juan Angel Napout, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2018 for his role in the FIFA corruption scandal, could be released next week, one of his lawyers said on Thursday.

GERVONTA DAVIS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY

 

"Boxing star Gervonta Davis was taken into custody on Thursday following a court hearing and transported to Baltimore City Central Booking Intake Facility, a Baltimore City Sheriff's Office spokeswoman told ESPN.

Davis has been serving a 90-day house arrest sentence at the home of his trainer, Calvin Ford, punishment that was meted out last month after the fighter pleaded guilty to four counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash in November 2020 that injured four people, including a pregnant woman.

OSCAR PISTORIUS DENIED PAROLE | COULD APPLY NEXT YEAR

GERVONTA DAVIS ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE B3FORE HIS FIGHT WITH H3CTOR LUIS GARCIA