Welcome to your daily look at the news in the North East.
Each morning and lunchtime we'll bring you some of the latest news from the North East - from breaking news and top stories to NUFC updates and the cost of living latest.
Today, we bring you news of a Newcastle United fan who has written to Amanda Staveley amid fears he may miss out on seeing his team play Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, a report from victims of holiday fraudster Lyne Barlow and the news that a man who carried out rapes and other sexual offences against girls when he himself was a youth has been put behind bars.
This is your Wednesday morning briefing on all the latest from across the North East.
Newcastle fan fears he will miss Carabao Cup final despite travelling 400 miles for every home game
Our Newcastle city centre reporter Sophie Brownson Newcastle United fan Tony Buckingham, who has written to Amanda Staveley amid fears he may miss out on seeing his team play Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley because of the club's ticket sale criteria.
Tony has spent 23 years travelling 400 miles to watch every home game and was just three points short of entering the ballot for the first round of tickets, which were released on Monday. Tony, who has 22 points, and only managed to secure tickets for two of the Carabao Cup matches, will now have to wait until Wednesday for a later ballot.
He told Sophie that he feels long-term season ticket holders who have "supported the club through thick and thin" deserve more consideration and has been left feeling as though his "loyalty counts for nothing". During his anxious wait to see whether he will be successful in the ballot, he has written a letter to Amanda Staveley to express his concerns.
"It is one of those things where it doesn't matter what you do, you are going to upset somebody but I just feel like anybody who has been a long-serving supporter and got less than 25 loyalty points is more or less been forgotten about, which doesn't seem right," Tony said.
County Durham man jailed for committing rapes and sexual assault on girls when he was a youth
Next up we have the news that a man who carried out rapes and other sexual offences against girls when he himself was a youth has been put behind bars. Ellis Henderson carried out the serious offences against two girls in the run up to his 18th birthday in 2020, and left one feeling scared to leave her home.
The now 20-year-old was said to have showed "a measure of grooming" behaviour whilst carrying out the offences in County Durham. Henderson, of Newton Aycliffe, appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham on Monday to be sentenced for assault of a child by penetration, two counts of rape of a child, and two counts of sexual activity with a child. He had been found guilty of the charges after a trial.
The court was told Henderson carried out the offences against two underage girls, when he was also a youth, but older than the victims. Henderson was handed an eight year prison sentence and a 12 year restraining order, as well as a 12 year sexual harm prevention order. Henderson will be on the sex offenders' register for life.
Victims of cruel fraudster Lyne Barlow call crimes 'despicable' after losing out on family holiday
One of the many victims of holiday fraudster Lyne Barlow spoke to reporter David Huntley after losing money on a planned family trip. Husband and wife, Andrew and Nicola Hunter, 40, reached out to family friend, Barlow, in March 2020, after deciding to get away on a family trip to Tenerife.
They paid Barlow £600, with other family members also chipping in to join them on an all-inclusive holiday in the sun. But due to the covid pandemic and restrictions placed on travel at the time, the couple decided it was best to cancel the holiday, with Andrew asking for a refund - which Barlow happily agreed to.
However, as the weeks went by, no refund came and it was around then that rumours began circulating online about the mother-of-two's dodgy dealings.
"A couple of weeks later, a few rumours started to circulate", Andrew said. "The rumours started to become more frequent. Some people were saying she had cancer and others were saying that some people were getting refunds. We'd heard she had cancer and my cousin even believed it. My cousin had actually been on holiday with Barlow previously on a Hen Do and during that trip Lyne was on crutches wearing Louboutin shoes!"
Last week, Barlow appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for ten charges of fraud, one charge of theft and one charge of concealing, converting, and transferring criminal property. She was jailed for nine years.
Read next:
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- Holly Newton 'stabbing': Boy injured in alleged attack in Hexham is discharged from hospital
- Then and Now: The Northumberland pub featured in a classic TV episode of the Likely Lads
- Police probe launched after man asks two children to get into his car in Ponteland
- Berwick town centre like 'ghost town' as big name retailer prepares to shut
