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Tributes for ex-Tottenham player who has died at age 25
Former Tottenham and Portsmouth defender Anton Walkes has died at the age of 25. Major League Soccer team Charlotte FC, who Walkes last represented in the 2022 season, confirmed his death yesterday following a boat accident in Florida. Londonborn Walkes progressed through the Spurs academy and made his debut and solitary appearance for the club in a Carabao Cup tie with Gillingham in 2016 before he later spent two years with Portsmouth.
“Everyone at Tepper Sports and Entertainment is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes,” Charlotte owner David Tepper said. “He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met.”
Former club Portsmouth said: “Everyone at Portsmouth Football Club is extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Anton Walkes. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.” Tottenham added in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
Ex-Tottenham defender Kyle Walker-Peters said: “Lost for words. Rest in peace Anton, you’ll be missed champ!”
Met officers handed misconduct notices over child strip-search
Four Metropolitan Police officers are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the stripsearch of a mixed-race child. A police sergeant and three constables have been served notices in relation to the arrest and detention of the child, who was strip-searched by officers. The IOPC began investigating the matter in May 2022 amid a number of referrals it received following the Child Q scandal.
“We can confirm that four Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers have been served misconduct notices as part of our ongoing investigation,” an IOPC spokesperson said. “A police sergeant and three police constables have been served notices in relation to the arrest and detention of the child, who was stripsearched by MPS officers. The serving of misconduct notices does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.”
Lloyds Pharmacy to axe hundreds of outlets in Sainsbury’s
Pharmacy chain Lloyds has said it will pull out of its 237 sites within Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Lloyds said it has cut the services following a strategic review “in response to changing
market conditions”. A spokesperson added that it is “exploring options” for each branch individually and will confirm exact closure plans on a “branch-by-branch” basis but expects to complete the process over the course of this year.
The chain stressed that it is working with all colleagues affected by the announcement but did not disclose how many workers would be affected. Kevin Birch, chief executive officer of LloydsPharmacy, said: “This decision has not been an easy one and we understand that our patients and customers may have questions about how the change will affect them.”
The decision comes as there is growing pressure on the UK pharmacy sector, following calls for increased state funding support. Nigel Swift, deputy managing director at pharmacy group Phoenix UK, said: “This announcement is the clearest possible sign of the dire situation facing community pharmacy in England as a result of insufficient government funding. Since the start of the pharmacy contract, there has been a massive cut in real-term funding resulting in hundreds of closures.”
Minority of public think Harry should get coronation invitation
Less than half of the public thinks Prince Harry should be invited to the coronation of King Charles after the duke made an explosive series of revelations about the royal family in his memoir. Exclusive polling for The Independent by Savanta shows 43 per cent of Britons think Harry should be invited to see his father crowned on 6 May, while 40 per cent think he should not. And 55 per cent of the public thought Harry deserved to lose his Duke of Sussex title after he used his book Spare to tell millions around the world of his strained relationships with family members.
The revelations included details of shouting matches with brother Prince William and the duke’s opposition to the marriage of the King to Camilla, the Queen Consort. Earlier this month, royal sources told The Independent that reconciliation with Harry is “impossible” because Charles, Camilla and William fear he will make public anything they say to him. A
source close to the royal family also revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be offered the chance to attend the coronation, without formal duties, but believed they “would find a reason not to go”.
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