A DECORATED military intelligence chief was yesterday sacked for groping a female officer.

Lt Col Benedict Stephens, 44, assaulted the rookie NCO during a boozy staff night out.

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Lt Col Benedict Stephens — honoured by the late Queen for his bravery in Afghanistan — has been sacked for groping a female officer[/caption]

Stephens, honoured for bravery in Afghanistan, had been off duty in Dubai in April last year.

After molesting the woman, he asked: “Are you intimidated by me?”

He had denied sexual assault but was found guilty last month.

Yesterday at the court in Catterick, North Yorks, he was given a 20-week jail term, suspended for two years.

Judge Advocate Edward Legard said: “What you did that evening was unconscionable.

“You were a decorated senior officer taking opportunistic advantage of a young female many ranks your subordinate and one who had every right to feel safe and secure in a senior officer’s presence.

“The impact on her cannot be overstated.

“Such was the shock of what you did to her that she became hysterical and was hyperventilating.

“Subsequent to this she has endured feelings of guilt and embarrassment and she fears being painted as the villain as opposed to the victim.”

He was dismissed.

Stephens received the Queen’s Gallantry Medal in 2011 for trying to save comrades from a sinking vehicle in Helmand.

LOVE Island fans have been left stunned as a couple have been brutally axed from the All Stars villa.

Tonight’s episode saw host Maya Jama wear her sexiest outfit yet as she delivered the results to the islanders.

ITV

ITV

Tina and Chuggs have been dumped from the island[/caption]

ITV

Ekin-Su and Curtis narrowly kept their place in the villa[/caption]

Ekin-Su and Curtis, Harriett and Ronnie and Chuggs and Tina were all up for the chop.

Arriving into the villa, host Maya gathered the cast at the firepit for the result.

She then announced Tina and Chuggs had been dumped immediately from the villa.

The pair said goodbye to their fella islanders before leaving the villa and joining Maya, 30, for an exit chat.

Reacting to the news, one Love Island fan said: “TBH, chuggs didn’t belong here. And Tina got played. So it’s long for them.”

A second wrote: “This season has been so predictable, everyone knew Tina & chuggs were always going to be dumped.”

“Ekin su, please stop the drama you know you are not leaving,” said a third.

While a fourth commented: “Interesting the way Tina only friendzoned Chuggs as soon as they walked out of the villa lol.”

Woke & broke

WHY is Britain alone refusing to cure itself of woke lunacy?

Other major nations, America most notably, are refusing to indulge or fund it a moment longer.

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Britain must take a leaf out of America’s book and refuse to indulge or fund wokeness a moment longer[/caption]

Here, the on-its-knees NHS wastes resources on a new rainbow badge to include yet more sexual “identities”.

Woke cops won’t collar shoplifters, yet probe a Health Minister sacked for imbecilic remarks online and absurdly declare them a “non-crime hate incident”.

That idiotic minister is replaced by another who opposes women’s toilets, believes women can have a penis and demands “dignity and respect” for anyone self-identifying as a llama.

The Government meanwhile vows to make it easier to change gender, via a nod from one doctor.

Hey presto . . . a ticked box makes a man “a woman”.

Keir Starmer’s hire as Attorney General is a hyper-liberal Corbynite clown who has habitually sided against Britain’s interests and even reportedly advised Caribbean chancers how to fleece us of trillions in slavery compo.

In power the Tories did virtually nothing to stop the Left’s woke corrosion of our country and the rot has now set in.

Gen Z was raised in this climate of self-loathing and historical misinformation, systematically indoctrinated by almost universally left-wing teachers and lecturers as celebs and social media influencers parroted the same facile, fabricated guff to stay fashionable.

The Government seems fully signed up.

Is it any wonder if, as a major study claims, young people mostly consider Britain a racist hell-hole they would never fight to defend?

Nice job, “progressives”. It’s all going so well.

Blow them out

GROWTH, for us, trumps Net Zero. National security eclipses both.

We get the Treasury’s desperation for Chinese investment.

But the risk from China supplying turbines for the Greenvolt North Sea wind farm is too great.

It’s not just that they could be used as spying devices, far-fetched as that might sound.

It’s that China could turn them off and leave us in the dark.

Why would the Government “take Putin’s boot off our throat” on energy . . .

Only to replace it with President Xi’s?

Stop the boasts

HARD-hitting videos of illegal migrants being deported by a supposedly no-nonsense Government fool no one.

Thousands more land at Dover on small boats every month.

And feeble judges bust a gut to prevent their deportation . . . including an Albanian criminal who successfully argued that his son dislikes foreign chicken nuggets.

The Government should bin the spin.

Without a deterrent and a rethink over human rights, this influx will never cease.

JAMIE STERRY played through against Crystal Palace with a HORROR head injury.

The Doncaster Rovers star was on the pitch against the Premier League outfit in the FA Cup fourth-round clash.

BBC

Jamie Sterry played with a head injury against Crystal Palace[/caption]

BBC

A huge lump could be seen on his head when he was subbed off[/caption]

Sterry, 29, started the match at right-back but was forced off in the closing stages.

The defender could be seen leaving the pitch with a golf-ball-sized lump on his forehead.

He did not seem worried about the issue as he walked off and appeared to be in good spirits.

Sterry was replaced by Tom Nixon as he then received treatment on the swelling.

He had been a regular for Grant McCann’s side this season with 27 appearances in League Two.

The former Newcastle star has put in some brilliant performances, which have seen him rack up six assists.

He was a part of the Magpies squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

Meanwhile, Doncaster were unable to cause an upset as Palace ran out 2-0 winners.

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Daniel Monuz netted the opener in the first half before Justin Devenny made it two with a brilliant finish after the break.

Palace star Will Hughes admitted that it was a relief to get through to the next round.

He told the BBC: “It is an old cliche, but we knew it would be a tough game.

“It was really important to get the first goal and we were able to see it out in the end.

“It was a good night all-round.”

Palace will now face Millwall in the next round of the FA Cup after the draw was done before the win over Doncaster.

Fans who wanted to watch the game on TV were left fuming after realising that it was on the red button and not on terrestrial channels.

LOVE Island All Stars fans have spotted a ‘clue’ proving Chuggs Wallis and Tina Stinnes won’t last.

Eagle-eyed fans of the reality show have pointed out the clue as the couple face the chop.

Eroteme

ITV

Chuggs entered the villa last week as a new bombshell[/caption]

Series seven star Chuggs, 26, entered the All Stars villa last week as one of the latest bombshell arrivals.

He arrived alongside Samie Elishi as the ITV dating show continues to heat up.

In last night’s episode, Chuggs went in to kiss fellow islander Tina Stinnes as they continue to get to know each other.

But now fans have flooded social media as they pointed out how there’s no spark between them.

Jokingly, they said how Catherine Agbaje seemed to be better at ‘grafting’ Tina more than him.

One fan commented: “Not Catherine having more game than Chuggs.”

A second wrote: “Why is CATHERINE better at grafting Tina than Chuggs?!”

“Catherine got more game than Chuggs,” said a third.

Meanwhile, in last night’s episode, Chuggs went in to kiss fellow islander Tina Stinnes – only for the moment to go awry.

He had told her: “Definitely the start of a connection between us.

“Can’t really ask for much more than that.”

Tina replied: “We can maybe have a cuddle tonight.”

Later, he added: “I’m going to do something now without thinking as well.”

As he leaned in, Tina asked “What?”, then said “No, no, no, no.”

She added: “Not now, I don’t want to have to pie you. Not yet, not yet.”

AN NHS trust has developed a new rainbow Pride badge a year after government funding was cut for the previous one.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London launched its Progress Pride badge for LBGT+ history month.

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Wes Streeting has blasted wokery in the NHS, warning it to ‘get back to basics’[/caption]

It uses the classic rainbow flag with additions — including a white line for non-binary and a circle for intersex people.

It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting wrote in The Sun on Sunday the NHS “can’t afford to be distracted by ideologues”.

Guy’s trust started the original rainbow badge scheme in 2019 and that later spread nationwide, with the flag plastered on ambulances and pedestrian crossings.

But public funding for it was cut at the start of 2024 under the previous government.

Mr Streeting has told the NHS to stop doing “daft things” and diversity staff must focus on safety and patient health.

Fiona McAnena, from charity Sex Matters, said: “It’s extraordinary that NHS trusts continue with divisive and wasteful displays of flags and pins.

“Successive health secretaries have issued directives to end the nonsense.

“Initiatives linked to promoting trans rights have cost well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds across the NHS in England.

“If trusts won’t listen to direct instructions from the Health Secretary, what will it take to stop the indoctrination and waste?”

Guy’s used £5,000 from its in-house charity for the badge.

HARRIETT Blackmore has been branded a “gaslighter” by All Stars fans.

The 24-year-old was on the warpath as Love Islanders dealt with the fallout of a tense game of To Be Honest.

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The Sun

She was furious about a game of To Be Honest[/caption]

Harriett was raging after being left vulnerable in a public vote because of how her co-stars had scored her and Ronnie.

During a clash with Casey O’Gorman, Harriett told him: “Shut your f***ing mouth.”

However, when pulled up over the comment, Harriett denied saying it.

Instead she argued she’d said “shut the f*** up” in the heat of the moment – and “it wasn’t deep”.

She attempted to play it down in a conversation with Casey, but fans were having none of it.

“Harriett is gaslighting. Don’t tell me to chill out,” said one.

Another said: “Harriett is such a gaslighter wtf, she does it to Ronnie all the time.

“Don’t try to downplay it and say it was joking, then say he needs to focus on the ‘bigger’ issues.”

Someone else added: “Harriett’s apology to Casey was the most chaotic apology I’ve ever seen, it was wild.”

Another said: “Harriet gaslighting is such a hard watch.”

One viewer added: “What kind of wayward apology is that Harriet? Some top tier gaslighting.”

The Sun

Harriett and Casey had a heated argument[/caption]

FOUR female footballers were killed by a lightning strike as they sheltered under a tree.

A man who was with them died in hospital while two women also suffered serious burns.

The four women have been named as Jeidy Morales, Daniela Mosquera, Luz Lame and Etelvina Mosquera.

Initial reports said the players hid in a pitchside shed in Cajibio, Colombia.

But government spokesman Lesly Valencia said: “The information I have is that the women were participating in a football tournament when the emergency occurred.

“A lightning bolt struck a tree and that was what caused the death of the four women.”

Tata Velasco, a friend, said: “What sad news. Rest in peace Daniela.”

One local wrote: “What they did was very ­dangerous. Trees attract lightning bolts.”

It comes as a footballer was killed and five others injured after being hit by lightning during a match in Peru.

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Four female footballers were killed by a lightning strike as they sheltered under a tree[/caption]

JUSTIN DEVENNY went from zero to hero for Crystal Palace and ended brave Doncaster Rovers’ FA Cup run.

The Northern Ireland international produced one of the misses of the season only to bounce back and seal the 2-0 win and secure a home tie with Millwall.

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Justin Devenny went from zero to hero as he sent Crystal Palace into the FA Cup fifth round[/caption]

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Daniel Munoz got himself on the score sheet early on[/caption]

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Ben Chilwell returned to the pitch after months frozen out at Chelsea[/caption]

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It was a valiant performance at home by Doncaster by the Premier League side made their quality count[/caption]

Daniel Munoz gave the Eagles a first-half advantage before the 21-year-old’s blooper from six yards out with the goal gaping.

Though he showed brilliant composure just moments later to lob home and seal a fifth-round South London derby.

There were 58 places between the Premier League side and the lowest-ranked club left in the competition.

Though it was Oliver Glasner’s men adopting tactics more accustomed to League Two in the early exchanges.

And if you’ve got a weapon like Chris Richards’ long-throw then nobody should be worried what modern day football snobs think.

Three times the American defender hurled it into the box in a row but Teddy Sharman-Lowe managed to clear the danger away from the lurking Jean-Philippe Mateta with a strong punch.

The tin foil cups were out in force around the jam-packed Eco-Power Stadium, and they were being waved with a bit more belief after Donny carved out the first real opportunity.

Good work down the left found veteran Billy Sharp, and he laid it off for on-loan Manchester United winger Ethan Ennis to tamely fire straight at Matt Turner.

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Palace continued to have most of the ball but they were finding the defence a tough nut to crack, with every clearance, block or tackle producing a roar from the home crowd.

But for all of that resilience, they eventually came unstuck after being caught out by an impressive set-piece routine – although the unfortunate Sharp was left cursing his luck.

Daichi Kamada looked set to try a curling effort from 25 yards but instead hit it low into the feet of Mateta.

The striker controlled, spun and shot only to see his strike bounce back off the post.

Sharp desperately turned to try and clear, only for the ball to hit his right shin and land perfectly for Munoz to tap home from close-range.

Luke Molyneux, looking to take his Doncaster goal tally to 14 this term, cut in from wide on the right but his thumping strike whizzed narrowly wide.

It could, and should, have been game over moments after half-time but Devenny was left red-faced.

Mateta put it on a plate for him to tap home from six yards out but he got his connection all wrong as his shot nearly went out for a throw.

Joseph Olowu blocked Mateta as Palace’s quickfire start continued but you could feel a second was coming and this time Devenny made no mistake.

Will Hughes delivered a perfect floating pass just over George Broadent’s head that Devenny expertly lobbed past Sharman-Lowe.

Doncaster threw on forward Joe Ironside, who fired Cambridge United to a famous win at Newcastle three years ago, but he could not rekindle any magic although Owen Bailey did force Turner into action late on.

It’s back to the promotion push for Grant McCann’s side with a trip to Grimsby Town on Saturday while Glasner can continue to dream of Wembley.

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