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There’s only one Kylie – and it’s not a Jenner-Kardashian

The Kardashians only came to fame because of O. J. Simpson and now one of their number, in attempting to usurp Kylie Minogue, is again showing how utterly preposterous this ragbag of fame hunters truly is.

Ms Jenner has had the audacity to dare to take on Ms Minogue over ownership of their shared Christian name

Last August, Kylie Jenner filed a USA trademark application for the name “Kylie” under “advertising” and now, KDB, an Australian-based business representing Minogue, has submitted a notice of opposition. In it, the firm cites Jenner as a “secondary reality television personality” and lists criticism the Keeping Up With the Kardashians participant has received from African-American communities and disability rights groups.

Minogue herself joined the fray on Sunday and cryptically tweeted: “Hello… My name is KYLIE #lightyears”. Jenner, meanwhile last week, filed another application under “entertainment services” so sadly for the singer, it looks like this battle won’t be going away anytime soon.

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The Steeple Times selects five of the best cars on offer at the 6^th March Silverstone Auctions’ Restoration Show Sale at the NEC in Birmingham

Today, Silverstone Auctions will sell a whole array of classic and modern cars at the NEC in Birmingham. Amongst the lots on offer – at prices to suit every budget – are some real stunners and here we choose five of the best at the The Restoration Show Sale 2016:

1957 Bedford CA van – £9,000 to £12,000 ($12,800 to $17,100, €11,600 to €15,500)

Used in the 2015 film The Lady in the Van as the home of Miss Mary Shepherd – played by Dame Maggie Smith – this previously restored light delivery van was “distressed” for the film it truly was the star of. It is said to be in “excellent” order despite Dame Maggie having covered it in yellow paint during filming.

1985 Aston Martin Lagonda – £80,000 to £100,000 ($113,800 to $142,300, €103,400 to €129,200)

Designed by William Towns and priced at £150,000 new (the equivalent of £410,000, $583,000 or €530,000 today), this left-hand drive four door saloon was produced specifically for the 1986 New York Motor Show. It has variously found itself in Newport Beach, California, the Netherlands and the UK and truly reflects the design style of top-end 1980s motoring.

1950 Land Rover Series I by Tickford – £35,000 to £40,000 ($49,800 to $56,900, €45,200 to €51,700)

Described as the model that represents “the first attempt to civilise Land Rover”, this coach-built vehicle was one of just 650 produced. A forerunner of the Range Rover in terms of featuring such things as a split tailgate, this 51,493 mile rarity was restored between 2004 and 2006 and has formed part of several notable collections.

1955 Land Rover Series I – £7,000 to £9,000 ($10,000 to $12,800, €9,000 to €11,600)

Originally purchased by the Rothschild family as a gift for Romulus Christie, the grandson of the founder of the Glyndebourne Festival, this “shabby chic” Land Rover – registration ‘ROM 418’ – is described by Silverstone Auctioneers as a “faithful servant who has fought valiantly for sixty years”. They add: “[She’d] be equally at home ‘picking up’ on Yorkshire moor or parked outside The Admiral Codrington”.

1988 Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign – £5,000 to £8,000 ($7,100 to $11,400, €6,500 to €10,300)

A one owner car from new and stored under a dedicated cover for its entire 28-year life, this 3.6-litre, automatic Jaguar is described as having “sparkling” Grenadier Red paintwork and an “outstanding… supple” soft cream leather interior. It cost £29,572 new (the equivalent of £71,528, $101,763 or €92,414 today) and is marketed as “pound for pound, one of the best value cars you [could] buy”.

Update: 6^th March, 6pm:

1957 Bedford CA van – Unsold.

1985 Aston Martin Lagonda – Sold for just £73,125 ($104,000 or €94,500).

1950 Land Rover Series I by Tickford – Sold for £38,250 ($54,400 or €49,400).

1955 Land Rover Series I – Sold for on estimate £7,650 ($10,900 or €9,900).

1988 Jaguar XJ40 – Unsold.

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Restored Grade II* listed Georgian mansion in Cumbria for sale for just £190 per square foot (a one bedroom flat for the same asking price in Mayfair is offered at £2,100 per square foot)

In London, £1.4 million ($2 million or €1.8 million) will buy you a somewhat compact one bedroom, fourth floor flat in Hay Hill, W1 but just 15 minutes south of the Lake District at Beetham in Cumbria for the same amount you could purchase a vast Grade II* listed country house.

A bargain at Beetham – Ashton House, Beetham, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, LA7 7AL

Standing in 8.3 acres of land and 4.4 acres of woodland, 7,376 square foot Ashton House is priced at the equivalent of just £190 per square foot ($269 per square foot or €245 per square foot) compared to the £2,100 per square foot ($3,000 per square foot or €2,700 per square foot) sought for the previously mentioned 667 square foot Mayfair apartment. It has 5 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms and comes with a tennis court, outbuilding and double garage.

Built originally in 1678 but mainly dating to the 18^th century, Ashton House has most recently been owned by Gordon Fairclough, the Chancellor of the Cumbria Commandery of the Order of St Lazarus, according to Wikipedia and has also been used as a wedding venue.

The house is described as being “full of original features” by its selling agents

A glasshouse is situated with the 12.7 acre grounds

An aerial view of the idyllic rural setting of the property

For the same price, you could buy this £1.4 million Mayfair apartment that is situated just off Berkeley Square; it features a reception room, a small double bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom

Ashton House is for sale through the Clitheroe office of estate agents Savills.

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Owner of Hustler magazine, Larry Flynt, urges Donald Trump to come clean about the size of his manhood

Last Friday, Donald Trump finally met his match. In a publicly issued letter in the wake of yet another set of silly comments by The Donald during a FOX News debate on Thursday, Hustler owner and chairman Larry Flynt stated:

Dear Mr Trump,

The credibility of your entire campaign for the Republican presidential nomination hangs in the balance on the basis of one all important issue: the size of your penis.

This issue has been put on the agenda, not by your opponents, not by an inquiring press corps [sic], and not by any of your former wives or mistresses. You yourself raised this issue in the GOP presidential debate on March 3^rd. You said: “He (Senator Rubio) referred to my hands – – ‘if they’re small, something else must be small’. I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee”.

Hustling Trump – Larry Flynt responded to Donald Trump’s remarks about the size of his manhood with a very public challenge last week

So far we only have your word that you have a huge penis. But there has been no objective authority who has made a verification of your claim.

I making you an offer that you must not refuse if anyone is to believe you. I have a team of doctors ready today to conduct the examination required to confirm your boast. If you reject this offer, I can only conclude that you are not the man you say you are and that your bragging about your penis size is as fraudulent as Trump University.

Please contact me immediately.

Sincerely,

Larry Flynt

Contact: media@lfp.com

As of yet, The King of the Combover has supposedly failed to respond. Surprise, surprise.

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Aston Martin Lagonda originally owned by Prince Philip for sale

HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – AKA ‘Phil The Greek’ – purchased a 3-litre Aston Martin Lagonda drophead coupé new in 1954 and owned it until 1961. That car is now set to be auctioned with a punchy estimate of £350,000 to £400,000 – three to four times the price of a similar car without such a pedigree.

A royal Lagonda – The Aston Martin Lagonda drophead coupé that Prince Philip owned between 1954 and 1961

A royal Lagonda – Prince Philip getting into the car

A royal Lagonda – The car was kept aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia during Prince Philip’s Tour of the Commonwealth during 1956 and 1957

Driven extensively by Queen Elizabeth II’s husband during his possession, the car was built to the personal specification of Prince Philip and delivered in Edinburgh Green livery with grey leather upholstery. It was fitted with non-standard extras such as a power hood and a floor-change gearbox and even came with an extra vanity mirror for The Queen supposedly to use when adjusting her hat. Other additions numbered a “pioneering” radio telephone that Prince Philip allegedly made prank phonecalls to his children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, on and as well as being the vehicle the royals used when they opened the M1 motorway, the car toured the Commonwealth with the couple during 1956 and 1957 during which time it was kept aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Restored in recent years, the Lagonda was reunited with Prince Philip at an event in 1999 and is a rare example of a car that he has owned that has passed into private ownership. It will be sold by H&H Classics at their Imperial War Museum Duxford sale on 20^th April 2016.

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Fifteen year old Maya Henry launches #teensforhillary (after her ambulance chasing personal injury lawyer father spent £1.4 million on her birthday party)

On Monday, complete with the inevitable youth favourite – a hashtag – a fifteen year old teenage socialite (who cannot even vote) issued a press release announcing she would be “mobilising her 18,000 Instagram followers in support of Hillary Clinton”.

Hillary’s teen labour – Maya Henry posed with Kay Perry wearing #teensforhillary T-shirt last week

Hillary’s teen labour – She also wore the T-shirt when she posed with Diane von Fürstenberg

Sent out by New York PR guru Norah Lawlor of the Lawlor Media Group on behalf of “It Girl with a Heart of Gold” Maya Henry, the page long announcement stated:

“Maya sincerely hopes that when Hillary Clinton is elected President, many other young women will have the opportunities Maya and her family have been afforded”.

“Maya Henry is a third generation Latina-American and her respect for her heritage is a big reason behind her drive to see Hillary succeed with her 2016 campaign for the White House… She encourages all those who are of voting age to get out and #voteforhillary… She strongly encourages teens to use their social media reach to spread Hillary’s message of opportunity and hope”.

After most recently meeting with Hillary Clinton on Wednesday 2^nd March in Manhattan, Miss Henry, herself, added:

“Growing up, I always knew how lucky we are that my grandmother had the opportunities that she had and was able to provide those opportunities to my mother and to me. I believe that with Hillary as President, we will only see more opportunities for Latina Americans”.

“For all my friends, both living inside the United States and abroad, I urge you to use your social media presence to support Hillary. Each of us have a huge reach through Facebook, Instagram and other social media. With simple communication through these platforms we can help to ensure children don’t live in the shadows of deportation or poor or no healthcare, and that they get a fair chance at an education in this, the wealthiest country on the planet”.

What next for Mrs Clinton? #prisonersforhillary?

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A set of cottages in Chelsea that isn’t quite as modest as it initially seems comes to the market for £20 million

Behind the façade of what initially appears a modest pink coloured cottage in Old Chelsea’s Cheyne Row is a house that is quite something else. That property is named Great Cheyne Studios and Cheyne Cottage and it is for sale for £20 million ($28.5 million or €25.9 million).

A Great Cottage – The modest exterior of Great Cheyne Studios gives little away about what is housed within

This ‘Great Room’ is not what one would expect to find inside

A merger of three cottages standing on the site of what was originally a slaughterhouse and later a series of artists’ studios, Great Cheyne Studios became a single residence in 1948 and was then redeveloped by an American businessman and philanthropist named Robert A. Hefner III circa 2003.

University of Oklahoma educated Hefner – the grandson of a renowned oilman and Mayor of Oklahoma City nicknamed ‘The Judge’ and himself the founder and CEO of The GHK Company, a privately-owned natural gas and oil exploration and production company – opted for a traditional look for the surprisingly vast house and around a courtyard garden created an amazing residence that now features 8,725 square foot of internal accommodation and 2,750 square foot of gardens and roof terraces.

The size of the private courtyard gardens that come with the house is also surprising

Robert A Heffner III and his wife MeiLi Heffner

A floor plan of Great Cheyne Studios and Cheyne Cottage, 12a to 14 Cheyne Row, Old Chelsea, London, SW3 5HL illustrates how truly vast the house is

As well as a double height ‘Great Room’ that features a minstrel’s gallery and oak beams reportedly taken from Steventon Hall – the home of the novelist Jane Austen – there is an “equally dramatic” double height dining room with a music gallery, a library and a cinema room. The house also includes 6/7 bedrooms, 3 kitchens and a gym. It is offered for sale through agents Strutt & Parker.

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Matthew Steeples asks: “Is it right that institutions such as the BBC and the V&A laud Boy George in spite of his many convictions?”

Boy George is everywhere: Be it on the BBC’s The Voice or giving a talk at the V&A in South Kensington, this vain pop star has been accepted back into ‘The Club’ as if he’s never done a single thing wrong.

Boy and the Beeb – Boy George is surely someone the BBC should not laud given their past errors

A convicted criminal, found guilty of offences ranging from falsely reporting a burglary in 2006 to assault and false imprisonment in 2008, Boy George once admitted: “People have this idea of Boy George now, particularly the media: that I’m tragic, f**ked up. I mean, I am all those things” but such comments have now been swept under the carpet.

The BBC, a publicly funded institution that claims to have learnt from their ‘mistakes’ with Jimmy Savile and others, have again got it very wrong in the choice of this Eltham born individual as their new court favourite. Here, instead of some innocent delight, is, in fact, a man who once chained a male escort to a wall fixture and “subjected him to violence” and here is a man who has been arrested for heroin possession. This individual is no role model and it is jolly well time that ‘Auntie’ took him back off air.

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World’s first gin made in an airport launches at Gatwick

There are gimmicks and there are gimmicks and then there’s airport gin. Just launched to coincide with the opening of a new pub in Gatwick’s north terminal is a new on-site gin distillery producing Nicholas Culpeper London Dry Gin.

The Nicholas Culpeper gin distillery at Gatwick Airport is enclosed within bombproof glass

Nicholas Culpeper London Dry Gin

Produced behind bombproof glass in twelve litre batches, the gin on offer is made in a still called ‘Judith’ that has been named after Culpeper’s fiancée – who was killed when the coach in which she was travelling was struck by lightning – and is priced at £3.95 for a single and £7.50 for a larger measure. Bottles are available to take away for £20 each and hopefully don’t contain any aviation fuel.

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Could Khamprasong Thammavong be the stupidest criminal on the planet?

Khamprasong Thammavong is probably the most stupid criminal on the planet given he is most likely one of most easily identifiable individuals ever also.

Wally of the Week: Khamprasong Thammavong

With a face covered in tattoos – including the words “Gucci”, “Speak No Evil” and “Money” – this Fresno, California based man was arrested on Monday on numerous felony charges, including being a felon in possession and cultivation of marijuana.

A search of 33-year old Thammavong’s residence allegedly turned up a semi-automatic handgun, tactical gear similar to what law enforcement officers wear, a marijuana grow house, narcotics and photographs of Thammavong posing with weapons.

If it comes to an I.D. parade for any other crimes, Fresno’s police officers will certainly have a problem: They’ll never find anyone else quite stupid enough to have inked themselves so ridiculously to stand alongside this Laos Bloods gang member.

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Old Harrovian jeans designer Sheel Khemka to face retrial

In August 2014, Harrow and Oxford educated Sheel Khemka was tried at Croydon Crown Court in relation to allegations made by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs regarding substantial VAT claims that he’d submitted.

Sheel Khemka

The Round Tower, Siddington, South Cerney, Gloucestershire, GL7 6RH

Currently a director of four companies including the rather inappropriately mockingly named “I’mpure Limited’ amongst others, Khemka, the son of West Nottinghamshire College CEO Dame Asha Khemka DBE and the brother of E2Exchange founder and CEO Shalina Khemka, will now go to retrial regarding this matter on 11^th April 2016 at Croydon Crown Court.

Elsewhere, the London based businessman – who has 54 closed directorships and whom featured in a number of articles about a dispute with a crowdfunding site in 2013 – has enjoyed extensive press coverage regarding the sale of the £2.5 million Gloucestershire home he has lived in since 2009 in such titles as the The Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard. Currently on the market through Savills – the third agent in as many months that has attempted to sell a white elephant that is nicknamed The ‘W**nker’s Tower’ locally – the house overlooks an airfield and sits on a windswept hill.

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Designer Alice Temperley forced to slash the price of her Grade II* listed Somerset folly to a price £250,000 less than she paid for it in 2010; it comes complete with a bear pit

If the Daily Mail’s Sebastian Shakespeare is to believed, the fashion designer Alice Temperley MBE is having a rough time: Her company has posted losses of £2.8 million and now she’s had to slash the asking price of Cricket Court, her South Somerset “retreat”, to £250,000 less than the £2.25 million figure she and her ex-husband, Lars von Bennigsen, supposedly paid for it in 2010.

Cricket Court, Cricket Malherbie, Ilmininster, Dorset, TA19 0PW

Alice Temperley with her son Fox London Temperley von Bennigsen Mackiewicz and former husband Lars von Bennigsen

The interior reflects the eccentric tastes of the fashion designer

The house has many quirky features

The former bear pit now comes complete with a glitterball

Marketed for £2.5 million first in 2009 and then for the same sum by Temperley and von Bennigsen in 2011 prior to their separation in 2012, Grade II* listed Cricket Court had been sold previously for £1.3 million in 2000 and was home to the Canadian born newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook during the Second World War and subsequently the Anglo-Russian author and one-time UKIP candidate Count Nikolai Tolstoy.

The scene of secret meetings between between Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower in 1944, the house rather appropriately comes with a true rarity in an English country house – the ruins of a Tudor bear pit.

Extending to 8,245 square foot and standing in 5.6 acres of land – currently frequented by two pet llamas owned by Temperley – Cricket Court’s limitation undoubtedly is its layout. Lacking in bathrooms and spread in a somewhat odd layout over four floors, the house includes 5 reception rooms and 8 bedrooms. Its cellars are described as “having potential for conversion into further accommodation” by selling agents Savills whom now seek offers in the region of £2 million.

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Garden shed capable of speeds of in excess of 70mph takes to the roads

With the help of a letter from David Cameron to the DVLA, a two-tonne garden shed on wheels has taken to the road.

Kevin Nicks and his driveable shed

Mr Nicks’ creation on the motorway

The contraption goes town

David Cameron supported the project

Owned and built by Kevin Nicks, a 51-year old mechanic and gardener from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the “bonkers” vehicle sits on the chassis of a Volkswagen Passat and has reached a speed of 70.8mph on a private airfield near York.

Of the bizarre vehicle, Mr Nicks told The Telegraph:

“I’m so proud to be the builder of it. When you pull up to the traffic lights it makes people smile because it just looks so wrong”.

He now plans to build other “equally weird vehicles”.

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Hunter wellington boots created for the Boat Races go on sale for £100 per pair

Bizarrely wellington boots are more likely to be spotted on the Kings Road than on a grouse moor but those wanting to make clear their affiliations in the 2016 Cancer Research Boat Races can now sport a pair of official Hunter Boat Race boots.

Give it some welly Limited edition Hunter boots are created for the Boat Race annually

Give it some welly – Lance Tredell of Cambridge University Boat Club features in an advertising campaign for this year’s official Boat Race wellington boots by Hunter

Offered as limited editions for both men and women, the boots are available in Oxford University Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club colours and pairs will be worn by the competing crews on Sunday 27th March also.

Featured in Hunter’s ‘Everyday Pioneers’ campaign, the boots are described as “[enabling] the crews to safely launch their boats whilst protecting them from the Tideway, the section of the River Thames on which the boat race takes place”. They don’t, however, come cheap and will only be yours if you part with £100 per pair.

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£60 million New York condo offered with extras including a pair of Rolls Royce Phantoms and a yacht

A somewhat blandly decorated 45^th floor, 17 room apartment at The Atelier Condo at 635 West 42^nd Street in Midtown West, New York has been on sale for £59.2 million ($85 million) since 2013 but, in what can only be described as a desperate attempt to get a sale, now included in that price are some very unusual extras.

The interior of the apartment is surprisingly uninspired in terms of its decorative style

Daniel Scott Neiditch

Aside from free daily breakfast, free bicycle usage, a cross-town shuttle bus and access to such amenities as a large lap pool, golf driving range and building-wide wireless Internet services, the purchaser of the 10,000 square foot property will also get:

– A £1.4 million ($2 million) construction credit.

– A £695,000 million ($1 million) yacht with docking fees paid for five years.

– Two Rolls-Royce Phantoms (one hardtop, one convertible).

– A Hamptons mansion rental for a summer.

– Courtside season tickets to the Brooklyn Nets for a year.

– Live-in butler services for one year and the services of a private chef.

– Dinner for two weekly at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant, Daniel, for one year.

Though we doubt such an insignificant sum would trouble them, buyers should also note that monthly common charges and taxes on the property are £6,950 per month ($10,000 per month).

The apartment continues to be offered by its owner Daniel Scott Neiditch and River 2 River Realty.

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Derbyshire castle known as ‘Smedley’s Folly’ for sale for £9 million (despite requiring a further investment of at least £8 million)

Riber Castle stands dominant above the Derbyshire town of Matlock and though it was only built in 1862 for an industrialist named John Smedley, its decline began soon after in 1874 upon his death. After subsequent use as a hydro and a private boys’ school in the 1920s, the gritstone building was bought by Matlock Urban District Council in 1936 and soon after its roof was removed. The shell that remained became a breeding centre and zoo in the 1960s. That closed in 2000 and now, following a highly controversial planning process that concluded in 2006, the semi-restored building is on the market for a figure of around £9 million ($12.9 million or €11.6 million).

Riber Castle

John Smedley (1803 – 1874), pictured with his wife Caroline, was the co-founder of Lea Mills (now operating under the brandname ‘John Smedley’), a business that is described as “the world’s longest running factory manufacturer”

An aerial view of the setting

The shell of the castle prior to the new roof being installed

The new roof

One hundred and nineteen new windows have been installed

The interior prior to the removal of the roof

It is now well on the road to a rebirth in its grandeur

Offered for sale or as an opportunity for a joint venture by current owners Cross Tower Ventures Limited, the Grade II listed Gothic castle is said to require an additional investment of around £8 million ($11.4 million or €10.3 million) and will provide a total of 46 dwellings when finished. It comes with 18 acres of grounds and views over the Derwent Valley.

Some 853-feet above sea level and including four symmetrical 75-foot high towers and 145 feet of battlement walls, a total of 119 windows in the building have already been replaced. Its chimneys and floors have been rebuilt, a new roof added and many period details have also been restored. The former folly is now described by Humberts, the selling agents marketing it, as being “well advanced towards the second fix stage, with the mechanical and electrical infrastructure well established” and it certainly is well on the road to having a viable purpose for the first time in its existence. A “reliable asset value on completion” of in excess of £28 million ($40 million or €36 million) is quoted “depending on continued level of specification”.

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Martine Vik Magnussen must not be forgotten and her alleged killer Farouk Abdulhak should finally be brought to justice suggests Matthew Steeples

Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was killed in the early hours of 14^th March 2008 in Great Portland Street, Marylebone. The only suspect in her murder, Farouk Abdulhak, left London on his billionaire father’s private jet later that day and returned to his native Yemen – a country that has no extradition agreement with Britain.

Martine Vik Magnussen (6th February 1985 – 14th March 2008)

Farouk Abdulhak (born 18th February 1987) supposedly also goes by the names Farouk Beshr and Farouk Besher; he married in Yemen in 2014

In a new twist to this somewhat forgotten case, Monday’s Evening Standard reported that Miss Magnussen’s father, Odd Petter, received an offer of the arrangement of Abdulhak being handed over to Interpol on the eighth anniversary of her death in exchange for Norway hosting peace talks when the Yemeni civil war was at its height. Though this was unsuccessful, Mr Magnussen told the paper:

“I found this encouraging. This was a strong message to the suspect that he can no longer rely on the total support of his own people. I hope he is not sleeping so well these days”.

Justice for Martine Vik Magnussen must be served – however long it takes. Britain should once again pursue the extradition of Farouk Abdulhak and Yemen should jolly well offer to surrender him.

The suspect’s father Shaher Abdulhak is a Yemeni businessman and founder of Shaher Trading and the United Engineering & Automobile Co. Ltd.

The victim’s father Odd Petter Magnussen has led the campaign to seek justice for his daughter

Those with information that could ensure justice for Martine Vik Magnussen should contact Scotland Yard’s Most Wanted Hotline at +44 (0) 207 233 4128 or Crimestoppers on +44 (0) 800 555 111.

Support the Justice for Martine campaign by clicking here.

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1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost originally owned by Lord Mountbatten to be auctioned; it came back into his possession just months before he was assassinated in 1979

Lord Mountbatten’s assassination by the Provisional IRA on 27^th August 1979 is well documented but one story that is not is that he had the pleasure of being reunited with a car he first commissioned in 1924 when it returned to him in the final months of his life.

The ex-Lord Mountbatten 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost cabriolet to be auctioned

The car in question, a 1924 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost cabriolet – chassis number ‘135EM’ – was ordered new by The Rt. Hon. Lord Louis Mountbatten, as he then was, with a number of unique features. It included “a raised, streamlined bonnet that flowed in an unbroken line into the scuttle, and a novel mechanical headlight dipping mechanism of his own design” and instead of the firm’s trademark ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ radiator mascot, featured a figure of a naval signaller semaphoring the letter ‘M’. As a result, Rolls-Royce declined to issue a guarantee.

Sold two years later by the highly decorated peer, the car passed through a number of owners before being discovered in the South of France by a dental surgeon named Captain Ralph Symmons. Restored and offered to Lord Mountbatten, the car was purchased. A letter relating to this transaction from the peer dated 9^th November 1978 stated:

“Although he [the current owner] will be the legal owner of the car, it will, in fact, be on permanent loan to me until such time as my family and I are in a position to repurchase it from him at the price he is paying for the car”.

Lord Mountbatten pictured driving his pride and joy

The interior of the car

Restored again subsequently in the workshops of the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu in the early 1980s, the Silver Ghost has been displayed at Broadlands and more recently at Her Majesty The Queen’s Sandringham residence in Norfolk at His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ request. It is described as being “in good condition” and will be auctioned by Bonhams at their Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale on 20^th March 2016 with a guide price of £170,000 to £230,000 ($240,000 to $330,000 or €220,000 to €300,000).

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Thank you for your attention Matthew Steeples

This all comes to you from The Steeple Times - News of the bold, the talented and the influential - News of the bold, the talented and the influential

Boy George blocks ‘The Steeple Times’ on Twitter after we criticised the BBC’s promotion of this convicted repeat offender

If Boy George were a hetrosexual man and he had chained up a woman and held her hostage, few would leap to his support. A gay man, convicted of the abuse of a man in such a context, however, Boy George (born George O’Dowd), it seems, should be entirely excused despite having been jailed for just such a crime.

On Tuesday, Boy George responded to our editorial comment that suggested it might be wrong for the BBC to have lauded and given him a primetime position on their The Voice UK programme on Twitter. He remarked: “What people do with the grain of misinformation they have can be very upsetting. However, use the ‘block’ button!” before promptly doing just such.

Boy George blocked ‘The Steeple Times’ Twitter account on Tuesday

He also tweeted to his 386,000 followers about our article containing “misinformation”

We entirely respect Mr O’Dowd’s decision to block the @SteepleTimes account – and in doing so he joins an esteemed coterie that includes the Saddam Hussein apologist George Galloway MP, the racist lefty Diane Abbott MP and the convicted paedophile Rolf Harris’ main supporter, Anne Pyke – but given the abuse that followed from his ‘crew’ we can only confirm how warped this musician’s supporters truly are. Amongst the comments received was one that numbered: “It’s highly entertaining! Kind of goes with the job” as a description of the offence committed against Norwegian Audun Carlsen.

One of his supporters @inkedsomeplace responded suggesting the abuse Mr Carlsen was subjected to by the singer was “highly entertaining”

Boy George has been convicted of crimes on a number of occasions

Audun Carlsen continues to claim Boy George has “ruined his life”

Let it also not be forgotten that Boy George is far from a one-time offender. He has a series of convictions to his name both in the UK and America and on that basis, he can hardly be described as a role model to celebrated. The hypocritical ‘club’ that controls the BBC, we again state, should be ashamed of itself and instead of furthering the career of this felon should move on and promote new, untainted talent.

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Thank you for your attention Matthew Steeples

This all comes to you from The Steeple Times - News of the bold, the talented and the influential - News of the bold, the talented and the influential

1997 Bentley Turbo R long wheelbase offered for sale for just £5,000

Bentleys are normally considered the preserve of the rich and famous but at a forthcoming auction, one – presented in what is described as “beautiful condition” – could be yours for just £5,000 to £7,000 ($7,100 to $9,900 or €6,400 to €8,900).

A bargain Bentley – The 1997 Bentley Turbo R long wheelbase on offer

The interior of the car

The car on offer, a 1997 Bentley Turbo R long wheelbase, is maroon in colour with a cream leather interior and has covered “a mere 33,750 miles from new”. It has a full service history with fifteen stamps, a current MOT and a V5C registration document.

The Bentley will be sold without reserve at Bonhams’ Goodwood Members’ Meeting on 20^th March 2016. It could either be considered a true bargain and a future classic or a potentially expensive white elephant.

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Thank you for your attention Matthew Steeples