A GROOMING gang’s alleged victim was labelled a “prostitute” from age ten by social services, a court was told yesterday.

Referred to as Girl B, she was in council care when she was used as a “sex slave” from aged 13 by eight Asian men, a trial heard.

Getty

AFP

She was raped in a shop’s basement by market stall-holder Mohammed Zahid, 64, and Mushtaq Ahmed, 66.

She was also attacked in a house near Rochdale by up to six men, it was claimed.

Now in her 30s, she told the court she had read her social services file, which stated she sold herself for sex.

She said calling her a prostitute was “vile” and denied claims by the defence she was after compensation, saying she just wanted social services to “take responsibility”.

Zahid, Ahmed and six others aged between 39 and 64, deny offences.

They include rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child between 2001 and 2006.

The case continues at Minshull Street crown court, Manchester.

MOST middle-aged women like to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to wearing big knickers, according to a survey.

Eight out of ten said they were more comfortable in a large pair of pants — like rom-com hero Bridget.

Alamy

Most middle-aged women like to keep up with the Bridget Jones when it comes to wearing big knickers, according to a survey[/caption]

Alamy

Eight out of ten said they were more comfortable in a large pair of pants — like rom-com hero Bridget[/caption]

The poll also found more than three quarters (79 per cent) of women aged 40 to 65 would opt for comfy undies on a first date.

More than half (56 per cent) said control pants improve how their outfit looks, while 44 per cent say they enhance body shape.

And 45 per cent said so-called granny pants actually make them feel more confident.

The poll was commissioned by fashion brand JD Williams to mark the release of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, starring Renée Zellweger.

Thongs were voted the least favourite style of knickers (ten per cent), followed by Brazilian (11) and shorts (23).

Celebrity fashion stylist Gok Wan said: “What was once viewed as an ugly piece of underwear women were almost embarrassed about — fast-forward to today, and big knickers are now a core piece to building an outfit, an essential in helping women feel sexy and to embrace and support their shape.

“Undergarments can suck you in, push you up and smooth you out, contributing to a more ­flattering silhouette.”

Esme Stone, of JD Williams, said: “Big knickers are not just for grannies, they can be ­confidence boosting under a more figure-hugging outfit and they can be sexy too!”

WILLIAM SALIBA has offered to play as an emergency striker to solve Arsenal’s crippling injury crisis.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admitted he felt sick to his stomach when Kai Havertz tore his hamstring on the club’s Dubai warm-weather camp.

Getty

William Saliba has offered to play up front[/caption]

PA

Arsenal have an injury crisis to deal with after Kai Havertz picked up a hamstring issue[/caption]

Getty

Mikel Arteta admits he needs to be ‘creative’ to find a solution to their injury woes[/caption]

Now centre-half Saliba, who played up front for first club AS Bondy in France, is ready to answer any SOS.

Arteta revealed: “Willy always says ‘I’ll play as striker’. Straight away it was one of his reactions.

“Willy is so funny but it is true he played there. He used to score a lot.

“But a lot of players played there when they were younger.

“Is that an option to put them up front? You never know what’s going to happen. We are going to have to be creative.”

Arsenal are now without a recognised fit striker following Havertz’s injury, which requires surgery in the coming days.

The German, 25, is out for the season, along with ACL victim Gabriel Jesus, while fellow forwards Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both have hamstring problems.

Title-chasing Arsenal now have just THREE fit senior attackers  in Leandro Trossard, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling, who are set to form the Gunners’ attack at Leicester.

BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS

Saliba, 23, has scored just seven goals in 137 appearances for club and country since making his Arsenal debut in 2022.

But the Frenchman — coached by World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe’s father, Wilfried, as a kid — previously revealed how he “scored a lot of goals” for Bondy.

Saliba said: “I was happy to be the main striker. Most of the time I played, I scored.”

On Havertz’s injury, Arteta said he felt: “A big pain in the tummy. When you see a player in pain it’s a really bad feeling.”

Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino or Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori could also play as an emergency No 9.

There are free agents available, too, like madcap ex-Chelsea star Diego Costa, 36, former Arsenal man Carlos Vela, 35, and Kemar Roofe, 32, who left Rangers last year.

Arteta said: “I’ll explore every possible situation and then make a decision.”

Getty

Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino have also emerged as new No9 contenders[/caption]

MASTERMIND is meant to be the toughest quiz on telly.

But we have got hold of the application questions for the BBC show — which suggest you don’t have to be a complete brainbox to earn a seat in the big black chair.

Alamy

BBC

The long-standing show, now presented by Clive Myrie, is on the lookout for contestants for its upcoming series set to be filmed later this year[/caption]

The long-running programme, now hosted by Clive Myrie, is hunting for eggheads for a new series to be filmed later this year.

As part of the selection process, hopefuls face 20 multiple-choice questions against the clock.

But alongside some tougher riddles are posers you might find surprisingly simple.

One asks which reality TV show Charlotte Crosby and Vicky Pattison shot to fame on, while another looks for cocktail ingredients.

The BBC tells wannabes: “There will be 20 multiple choice questions.

“These are all the type of questions which could appear on the show,  however none of these will appear on the show.

“Googling the answers or asking a friend to help will be considered cheating and will also slow you down. Your time will be taken into account.”

Here, we share the 20 teasers that could prove YOU are a Mastermind.

1. WHAT’S the term of a piece of rock or other natural material that has landed on Earth from space?

• a) Meteorite
• b) Stalactite
• c) Lignite
• d) Ammonite

2. WHICH British car manufacturer produced early models called the Silver Ghost and the Phantom?

• a) Triumph
• b) Rolls-Royce
• c) Bentley
• d) Lotus

Insight News and Features

What show did these two shoot to fame on[/caption]

3. THE television personalities Charlotte Crosby and Vicky Pattison were original cast members on what reality series?

• a) Towie
• b) Geordie Shore
• c) Made In Chelsea
• d) The Valleys

Getty - Contributor

Can you name this famous city?[/caption]

4. THE Petronas Towers, which became the world’s tallest twin buildings in 1996, are in which Asian city?

• a) Shanghai
•  b) Jakarta
• c) Kuala Lumpur
• d) Riyadh

5. ALOPECIA is a medical condition resulting in the loss of what?

• a) Hair
• b) Hearing
• c) Appetite
• d) Memory

6. ANYA HINDMARCH, who was awarded a damehood in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024, is best known as a designer of what items?

• a) Shoes
• b) Hats
• c) Lingerie
• d) Handbags

Getty

7. WHICH Shakespearean title character makes the plea: “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse”?

• a) Henry IV
• b) Macbeth
• c) King Lear
• d) Richard III

Getty

8. A CLASSIC “French 75” cocktail is made by adding champagne to lemon juice, sugar, syrup and which spirit?

• a) Vodka
• b) Brandy
• c) Gin
• d) Rum

Getty

Are you clued-up on American history?[/caption]

9. WHAT was the occupation of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in a theatre in Washington DC?

• a) Priest
• b) Actor
• c) Lawyer
• d) Tailor

10. AT the Academy Awards ceremony in 2024, Da’Vine Joy Randolph won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in what film?

• a) American Fiction
• b) The Holdovers
• c) Anatomy Of A Fall
• d) Past Lives

11. WHICH of these chemical elements is metallic?

• a) Phosphorus
• b) Sulphur
• c) Iodine
• d) Cadmium

12. IN July 2024, which wheelchair tennis player won his first Wimbledon Singles title with victory over Martin de la Puente in the final?

• a) Alfie Hewett
• b) Ben Bartram
• c) Gordon Reid
• d) Dahnon Ward

13. WHAT’S the professional name of the rapper born Dwayne Michael Carter Junior in New Orleans in 1982?

• a) Nas
• b) A$AP Rocky
• c) Tyler, The Creator
• d) Lil Wayne

14. WHAT type of animal is a marmoset?

• a) Dog
• b) Monkey
• c) Spider
• d) Antelope

15. THE European Space Agency’s launch site at Kourou is in which overseas department of France?

• a) Guadeloupe
• b) Mayotte
• c) French Guiana
• d) Reunion

16. WHAT’S the first name of the character known in the title of a Charles Dickens novel as Little Dorrit?

• a) Sarah
• b) Amy
• c) Esther
• d) Nancy

Getty

17. WHICH of these is the name of a musical instrument similar to a xylophone?

• a) Mimosa
• b) Macarena
• c) Minneola
• d) Marimba

18. THE Latin phrase “Dictum meum pactum” – usually translated as “My word is my bond” – was adopted in 1923 as the motto of which ­institution?

• a) Bank of England
• b) Law Society
• c) London Stock Exchange
• d) Conservative Party

19. WHICH Irish political party was founded in 1905 by the journalist Arthur Griffith?

• a) Fianna Fail
• b) Sinn Fein
• c) Fine Gael
• d) Workers’ Party

20. WHICH song from a musical was the first to be played on the newly launched BBC Radio 2 in 1967?

• a) The Sound Of Music
• b) Over The Rainbow
• c) Singin’ In The Rain
• d) Consider Yourself

• The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.

'If they don't get better and start competing...'

Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years in January for the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Garry Pitt, 66, invoked the main character of JRR Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel The Hobbit after he was caught on CCTV.

Another 14 UK players won £1 million each in a EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker draw on Friday evening.

Photos have emerged showing some of 23-year-old Lucy Harrison’s final moments before she was shot dead in the US.

Lucy, from Warrington, Cheshire, was allegedly shot in the chest on January 10 while at her father’s home in Prosper, Texas, where she was on holiday.

Local police are treating the incident as a ‘criminally negligent homicide’, which is equivalent to manslaughter in the UK.

Hours before the tragedy she was pictured smiling in a series of photos including one where she was posing outside in the snow with young relatives said to be her siblings.

In other photos she can be seen grinning while hugging a man and woman said to be her dad and stepmum.

Another picture reportedly showed the 23-year-old with her boyfriend, who she had travelled to the US with just after Christmas.

An inquest into the circumstances surrounding her death was opened at Warrington Coroners court on Wednesday 12 February.

A written report from the inquest opening read: ‘Ms Harrison was on holiday in the USA when she has been fatally shot with a firearm.’

Following the hearing, Lucy’s family said: ‘Lucy was life. she lived it fiercely and fearlessly, not being afraid to feel all that life has to offer. Lucy unashamedly loved – she had a huge capacity to love and be loved.

‘She was the embodiment of wonderful contradictions; she adored travel and being away, experiencing new places and cultures, yet at the same time, she loved nothing more than snuggling up in her pyjamas with her candles on at home.

‘She could be dramatic and elaborate situations like it was the end of the world, yet she could also be straight talking and not afraid to have bold conversations. She was truly thriving in life and although this gives us great comfort, we are utterly heartbroken at the loss of our beautiful, gorgeous Luce.’

The inquest was adjourned until Friday 28 March 2024. Her family have requested privacy while dealing with their grief.

Lucy’s funeral will be held at St Elphin’s Parish Church at 12.30pm on Monday, February 24.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

She was an icon of the late 60s.