Two-time World Cup-winning Springbok Steven Kitshoff has prematurely called time on his illustrious career due to injury.
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Springbok great Steven Kitshoff FORCED to retire
Hearse driver arrested for attempting to bribe a traffic officer
A 41-year-old hearse driver has been arrested for attempting to bribe a traffic officer on the N2 road near Makhanda.
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Gachagua slams Ruto’s govt for allowing Sudan’s RSF to hold meeting in Nairobi
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has slammed President William Ruto for allowing Sudan’s rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to hold a meeting in Nairobi. According to the second deputy president, Ruto’s actions have tarnished Kenya’s reputation on the global stage. Speaking during a live interview on Monday, February 24, 2025, Gachagua said that allowing […]
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AAI Non Executives Western Region Online Form 2025
AAI Non Executives Western Region Recruitment 2025 Author: Sarkari Exam Team Tag: 12th / Diploma / Graduate / Post Graduate / LAW Job Short Information : Airport Authority of India (AAI) has released the notification for the post of Junior Assistant and Senior Assistant Western Region. This recruitment has been issued for 206 posts. Online ... Read more
The post AAI Non Executives Western Region Online Form 2025 appeared first on Sarkari Exam.com.
There was a chance I wouldn’t wake up from operation that saved my life, it scared me, admits Team GB icon Roger Black
TEAM GB icon Roger Black has admitted he was afraid he wouldn’t wake up from the operation that saved his life.
Black, 58, underwent open heart surgery last month on a condition he was been living with for over 47 years.
The Olympic star is a two-time 4x400m relay world champion and winner of two silver medals at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
But despite that level of physical fitness, Black has been dealing with a congenital heart condition throughout his entire career.
Black had no choice but to turn to surgery after he was told that the severe heart-valve disease could cause him to collapse at any moment.
He told the Mail: “The doctors said I could be out on a jog one day and my aorta could burst and I would die – they didn’t quite put it like that, but that’s what they were saying”.
Despite the risk of leaving things be, Black was still hesitant over surgery – explaining that he was nervous that he might not wake up from the operation.
He added: “My consultant called me and said: ‘The time has come.’
“But it didn’t really sink in until I got the hospital letter. I knew this needed to happen, but was I scared? Absolutely.
“I felt very vulnerable. The chance of me not waking up afterwards was less than 2 per cent – but that’s the bit I was scared of.”
Fortunately Black was okay after a successful operation and is now beginning the road to recovery.
He has been left with an 11-inch wound running down his chest, which he has described as “painful, but not terrible”.
While he also has to take aspirin to prevent blood clotting, statins to manage increased cholesterol levels, and other medication to stabilise a temporary heart rhythm disturbance.
Black could have missed the issue completely if it wasn’t for an annual echocardiogram last August that showed he needed the surgery.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist had put symptoms of tiredness down to “a sign I was becoming an old git”.
And he wouldn’t have had his regular heart checkups if it weren’t for his faulty valve being detected when he was just 11 years old by a school nurse during a stethoscope check of his heart.
Many others aren’t as fortunate as Black, with around 40,000 people in the UK passing away from heart-valve disease every year – with a large number taking a similar view on the symptoms to the Olympic hero.
Secret Service agent Clint Hall who leapt onto JFK’s car during assassination dies aged 93
THE brave Secret Service agent who leapt onto John F Kennedy’s limousine after he was assassinated has died at the age of 93.
Clint Hall passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife after spending decades haunted by the deadly shooting.
In November 1963 Clint was assigned to protect the president’s wife, Jacqueline Kennedy as they rode a motorcade through Dallas, Texas.
Hill was riding on the side of a car behind the Kennedy’s limousine.
After the first shots rang out – directly hitting Kennedy – Clint heroically dived towards Jacqueline and climbed into the limo as the shooting continued.
An iconic image of Clint hanging onto the car as it sped away from the horrified crowds was later shown after footage of the assassination was released.
Clint, originally from North Dakota, served in the Army prior to joining the Secret Service in 1958.
He was given an award for his actions in Dallas and eventually rose to become assistant director of the Secret Service.
However the trauma he experienced during the assassination led him to retire early from the agency in 1975, at the age of 43.
He had become convinced that he could have saved Kennedy’s life and shortly after his retirement told CBS 60 Minutes that he felt responsible.
“If I had reacted about five-tenths of a second faster, maybe a second faster, I wouldn’t be here today,” Hill said.
“You mean you would have gotten there and you would have taken the shot?” asked interviewer Mike Wallace.
“Yes, sir… That would have been fine with me,” Hill responded.
“I have a great deal of guilt about that,” he said. “Had I turned in a different direction, I’d have made it. It’s my fault.”
As the years went by, the former Secret Service agent later told a documentary, he returned to Dallas, eventually coming to the conclusion he could not have saved Kennedy’s life.
Hill met journalist Lisa McCubbin in 2009 and collaborated on a bestselling memoir, Mrs Kennedy and Me.
It was the first of a series of books and Hill and McCubbin fell in love. The couple married in 2021.
Newcastle stadium update as chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan flies in to make final decision on St James’ Park
YASIR AL-RUMAYYAN has flown into Newcastle to make the final decision on the club’s stadium.
The Magpies are assessing their options over whether to redevelop the iconic ground or move to a new stadium.
The site for the potential new ground would not be far away and would overlap the current ground’s Leazes and Milburn Stands.
The rest of it would stand over what is currently part of Leazes Park.
It has been claimed that it would boast a capacity of 70,000 while a redeveloped St James’ Park would rise to 60,000.
The Telegraph has reported that the chairman was in a meeting on Monday over the plans.
It has claimed that the move to a new stadium has been presented to Al-Rumayyan.
The report suggests that the new-build is the “preferred option” with the “benefits being explained” to him.
However, it is not expected that a final decision is yet to be made.
Earlier this month it was hoped that Newcastle could continue to play at St James’ Park while work takes place.
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A temporary relocation has not been ruled out, but a groundshare with arch-rivals is out of the question.
The most realistic option would be to play at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, around 120 miles away and in Scotland.
A suggested completion date if building a new stadium was chosen would be ahead of the 2031-32 season.
If the new stadium is built and is the suggested capacity of 70,000 then it would be one of the biggest in the country.
It would be the second-biggest club football stadium in the country only behind Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
A new-build would see the Magpies follow a similar path to Tottenham, who build on owned land adjacent to their former ground.
Toon have been playing at their home stadium since 1892, with the 52,000-seater located at the heart of town.
I was tormented by bullies, plagued by panic attacks, driven to suicide & was sectioned – then shock diagnosis saved me
GROWING up, Emily Katy always felt different. She was one of the youngest in her year but was ahead of her classmates, achieving high grades.
But she felt misunderstood and struggled to figure out how to be like everyone else.
At 13, Emily had her first panic attack which led to a number of mental health struggles – she was diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and was even described as “hysterical”.
Just days after starting sixth form, she tried to take her own life.
Yet it would still be months before Emily, from St Albans, Herts, was finally diagnosed with autism – a moment that changed her life.
She is now a 23-year-old mental health nurse, autism advocate and author with 45,000 Instagram followers (@ItsEmilyKaty).
Here she tells her story to Sun Health with one aim – to ensure other young people who are going through what she did don’t feel alone.
I have always felt different, and for a long time I believed that was a bad thing.
I was the youngest of the school year, yet years ahead of my classmates, reading full-length novels while they were still learning to read.
I preferred to read book after book at break time instead of playing with others. Friendships were confusing and unpredictable.
It was obvious to me that I was different, long before other children told me so.
Home was filled with love and joy, and as the eldest of three siblings, my brother and sister followed me around the house, joining in my imaginary games.
At home, I was happy. But as I went up through primary school, and found myself being bullied, things became harder.
I just wanted to fit in. I studied my peers and how they behaved, then did my best to adapt my behaviour by copying them.
I now know this is called masking — a strategy some autistic people develop to try to fit in.
Secondary school was like a minefield. There were hidden expectations, instructions I would forget the moment I’d been told them, loud corridors that made my chest feel tight and the ever-present fear of getting in trouble without meaning to.
‘Hysteric attacks’
I struggled to sleep at night, worrying about the next day.
At 13, on a school trip to Belgium, I had my first panic attack.
My grandfather had recently died, and seeing the war memorials and graveyards, on top of the blazing heat and loud students, triggered something in my brain.
Panic gripped me and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, as if my body wasn’t within my control.
I felt light-headed, dizzy, and genuinely like I was about to die.
I could no longer hide my anxiety and everything I had tried to suppress was now on display for everyone to see
Emily Katy
Several times I ran away from school. I also rocked under tables in classrooms, hands over my ears because it was too loud.
I couldn’t go out with my friends — if I did, I’d have a panic attack and leave early.
I could no longer hide my anxiety and everything I had tried to suppress was now on display for everyone to see.
Intrusive thoughts intensified. I imagined bad things happening to people I loved and worried that germs would make me and my family sick.
My brain offered solutions to reduce my anxiety.
If I tapped an object a certain amount of times, then my family would be safe, or if I washed my hands enough times, then I wouldn’t get sick.
If I counteracted negative thoughts with positive ones, or punished myself for my thoughts, then all would be OK.
Obsessive compulsive disorder was taking over my life, although I didn’t know that at the time.
Despite achieving all A*s in my GCSEs and being told I had a bright future ahead of me, I was at rock bottom.
I felt like everyone hated me, though I don’t know why.
I believed that the world hadn’t been made for me, and that I couldn’t cope anymore.
Just two weeks after starting sixth form, I attempted suicide.
Following five days in general hospital, I was transferred to a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service unit.
To cope, I wrote everything down — but three weeks after being admitted, they took my diary off me as they said that the ring binder was a prohibited item.
Meltdowns
I was so distressed — I couldn’t start a new diary because that one wasn’t finished.
After I demanded to be discharged, I was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and not allowed to leave.
I was having meltdowns — at the environment, lack of routine and strangers watching me sleep.
I now know meltdowns are a common autistic experience.
My parents met my doctor to discuss whether I could be autistic, but he said I just had “high social anxiety”.
Despite this, my notes from the unit list my triggers as change of routine, strangers, noise and lack of control — all autistic traits.
Worse, a professional wrote: “Emily has hysteric attacks when she does not get her own way.”
When I was discharged, I had diagnoses of generalised anxiety disorder and mixed personality disorder (emotionally unstable and obsessive-compulsive type).
The 9 'hidden' signs of ADHD in adults
ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class.
And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children.
However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing.
Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: “If it isn’t debilitating, it isn’t ADHD.”
In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD.
You might be thinking, ‘I’m always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work — I must have ADHD’. But it’s not as simple as that.
Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: “The key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a person’s daily life.
“Genuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life – work, relationships and emotional wellbeing – whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.”
ADHD UK’s Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: “Having ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.”
So how can ADHD manifest in someone’s life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs:
- Time blindness – losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early
- Lack of organisation – a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines
- Hyperfocus – becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours
- Procrastination – feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks
- Heightened emotions – emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once
- Being a ‘yes man’ – agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when you’re already busy (a desire to please)
- Impatience – interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly chatty
- Restlessness – tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside
- Easily distracted – by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts
I initially accepted these as they described perfectionism, difficulty with emotions and rigidity.
Then, six months after my discharge, in the summer of 2018, aged 16, I was diagnosed with autism and everything changed.
I was so relieved because there was a reason I felt different, and I wasn’t alone.
I wouldn’t receive my ADHD diagnosis until 2023, aged 21, but autism explained so much.
Other people struggled with my diagnosis.
My parents didn’t understand why it wasn’t noticed when I was very young.
Some of my friends’ parents didn’t think I was autistic.
I got the general sense that people thought I was too normal to be autistic.
I quickly found the online autistic community and learned there were words for my experiences, like shutdowns, alexithymia and sensory overload.
I want autistic people to know that they aren’t alone.
Emily Katy
At last, I had words to describe what went on in my head. It felt like a miracle. I began my blog, Authentically Emily, and shared my journey on social media.
Connecting with others gave me comfort and a purpose.
I was angry — at the world, at myself, at professionals, at the system. But what made me angrier was learning how others had similar journeys to me.
My anger shifted to determination to fight for change.
I became a trustee for the charity Autistic Girls Network in 2021 and qualified as a mental health nurse in 2022.
I wrote my book Girl Unmasked: How Uncovering My Autism Saved My Life, now a Sunday Times Bestseller.
I want autistic people to know that they aren’t alone.
Today I am in a much better position than I was.
I know what I find hard and what helps me to recover.
Making time to engage with my special interests and using my weighted blanket are my most helpful tools.
Social events like hen dos, weddings and parties are difficult, but certain strategies make them easier to navigate.
I can make my own adjustments. I leave the room for ten minutes when I need a break, I wear my noise-cancelling earplugs to help me to manage sensory overload and I ask for information about what to expect in advance.
For anyone experiencing similar challenges to what I went through, please know that the future holds an infinite number of possibilities.
Identify what truly matters to you and focus on that to try to get through the hard days.
Never underestimate the power of authentic connections — whether they are online or in real life. You are not alone.
- Girl UNMASKED: How Uncovering My Autism Saved My Life – The Sunday Times Bestseller – is now available from Waterstones, Amazon and other retailers.
The autism test
AQ-10: A quick referral guide for adults with suspected autism who do not have a learning disability.
For adults
For each question, write down if you Definitely Agree, Slightly Agree, Slightly Disagree or Definitely Agree
- I often notice small sounds when others do not
- I usually concentrate more on the whole picture, rather than the small details
- I find it easy to do more than one thing at once
- If there is an interruption, I can switch back to what I was doing very quickly
- I find it easy to ‘read between the lines’ when someone is talking to me
- I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored
- When I’m reading a story I find it difficult to work out the characters’ intentions
- I like to collect information about categories of things (e.g. types of car, types of bird, types of train, types of plant etc)
- I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face
- I find it difficult to work out people’s intentions
Score 1 point for Definitely or Slightly Agree on each of items 1, 7, 8, and 10. Score 1 point for Definitely or Slightly Disagree on each of items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9. If the individual scores more than 6 out of 10, consider referring them for a specialist diagnostic assessment.
For children
For each question, write down if you Definitely Agree, Slightly Agree, Slightly Disagree or Definitely Agree
- S/he often notices small sounds when others do not
- S/he usually concentrates more on the whole picture, rather than the small details
- In a social group, s/he can easily keep track of several different people’s conversations
- S/he finds it easy to go back and forth between different activities
- S/he doesn’t know how to keep a conversation going with his/her peers
- S/he is good at social chit-chat
- When s/he is read a story, s/he finds it difficult to work out the character’s intentions or feelings
- When s/he was in preschool, s/he used to enjoy playing games involving pretending with other children
- S/he finds it easy to work out what someon is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face
- S/he finds it hard to make new friends
Only 1 point can be scored for each question. Score 1 point for Definitely or Slightly Agree on each of items 1, 5, 7 and 10. Score 1 point for Definitely or Slightly Disagree on each of items 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9. If the individual scores more than 6 out of 10, consider referring them for a specialist diagnostic assessment.
Teen who murdered family was so evil he was banned from vile gore website where viewers go to watch people DIE
A TEEN who murdered his mum and two siblings was so twisted he was banned from a vile gore website where viewers go to watch people die.
Nicholas Prosper shot dead Juliana Falcon, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and 13-year-old Giselle Prosper at their home in Luton in September last year.
The 19-year-old had also intended to carry out an attack at a school and a loaded shotgun with more than 30 cartridges was found in a bush after his arrest, police said.
In now deleted videos, Prosper had spewed his vile views which included his sick obsession with children.
The teenager’s content was uploaded under a pseudonym and featured his distinctive accent.
But his ramblings were so depraved that he was even kicked off a gore website where millions of users share and comment on videos of people being killed.
One clip recorded hours before the massacre saw him threaten violent revenge against his 13-year-old sister Giselle over her actions on a computer game.
Wearing a yellow bucket hat and a black t-shirt Prosper said: “On June 30, my sister decided to make the incorrect choices on episode one of season one of The Walking Dead games, and for that her face will be mutilated further than necessary.”
Prosper said he was “chosen” to protect a fictional character called Clementine in the zombie video game, in a sign he struggled to differentiate between the real world and make-believe.
The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of murder at Luton Crown Court on Monday.
It was also revealed that Prosper had been plotting a school shooting but was foiled by cops.
After murdering his family, the teen was stopped by officers near his home as he planned to carry out the massacre.
Police also discovered a loaded shotgun discovered in bushes nearby alongside more than 30 cartridges.
Det Ch Insp Sam Khanna, from Bedfordshire Police, said “fortunately Prosper was apprehended before he could cause any further harm”.
He continued: “This was a truly tragic and shocking case in which three innocent members of the same family have been brutally killed by their son and brother.”
“No words can fully describe the tragedy their loved ones have experienced, and our thoughts continue to be with them at this difficult time.
“We are pleased that Prosper has pleaded guilty and will not put his family through the pain of a trial, and that he will soon face a significant jail sentence.”
The family shooting unfolded on September 13 2024 at a flat on Wauluds Bank Drive.
Police swarmed the home at around 5.30am following “welfare concerns”.
Horrified neighbours claimed they heard “loud bangs” that sounded like shots being fired.
Officers discovered Juliana and two of her four children dead inside the flat.
An inquest in October heard that all three of the victims died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Their devastated family said in a statement: “Julie was a strong, loving mother to her four beautiful children, who were her absolute world.
“In her spare time, she was a keen athlete and enjoyed raising money for charity – she was always putting others first.
“Kyle was a kind and funny young man who loved football and boxing.
“He was creative and thriving on TikTok, a big talent with massive potential.
“Kyle’s friends were his everything.
“Giselle was a beautiful soul and caring young girl; she liked to laugh lots and loved her family and big brothers.
“She was so loveable with an infectious smile.
“She was also an exceptional pupil at school and was loved dearly by her friends in Year 9.”
Prosper is on remand at HMP Peterborough, but he appeared for the hearing yesterday which lasted less than 10 minutes.
He wore a black t-shirt, dark trousers and black rimmed glasses as he entered his pleas.
The 19-year-old sat with his arms folded when he entered the dock.
As well as admitting the three murders, he pleaded guilty to purchasing or acquiring a shotgun without a certificate, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing an article with a blade or point.
He is due to be sentenced on March 5.
My boss is expecting my child after our boozy romp – and now my girlfriend’s pregnant too
DEAR DEIDRE: I’M in such a mess. I didn’t even want to become a dad when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. Now I’ve learned my boss is also expecting my child.
My girlfriend and I have been together barely six months. I’m 29, she’s 26.
When she told me she was pregnant, I was shocked because parenthood wasn’t on the cards as far as I was concerned.
Still, she was adamant she wanted to keep the baby and over the weeks I’ve come around to the idea of being a dad. But our sex life has fallen away.
I work in an accounts department and my boss is lovely. She’s 34.
Last year my team went out and my boss had one too many. I told the others that I’d make sure she got home OK.
When we got to her flat, she insisted I went in with her and so I sent the taxi away thinking I’d make sure she had a couple of glasses of water before I left.
She sobered up pretty quickly and I must have been there a few hours.
When she suggested I stay over, I said I’d sleep on the sofa. Her answer was to lead me to her bedroom.
We had a cuddle, a kiss and then sex. I’d missed sex so much. It felt incredible.
We went for lunch yesterday and she told me she’s pregnant.
The baby is due three months after that with my girlfriend.
I desperately want her to have the baby terminated.
READ MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: You cannot insist she has an abortion – it is entirely her decision.
If she keeps the baby, you will have to tell your girlfriend because there are two innocent children being born into chaos.
They need to be supported financially and emotionally. Now you’ve absorbed the news, ask your boss how she plans to handle things at work.
At least you will then know whether it would be wise to find a new job.
You’ll have to beg and plead forgiveness from your girlfriend about your mistake and you are likely to lose her. But if the two babies are yours, there’s no alternative but to come clean.
My support pack Cheating: Can You Get Over It? will help you work things through with your girlfriend – if she allows it.
Get in touch with Deidre
Every problem gets a personal reply, usually within 24 hours weekdays.
Send an email to [email protected]
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page.
WIFE SAID OUR LOVE HAS GONE
DEAR DEIDRE: I KNOW men can have a mid-life crisis but can women? I ask because my wife has said she doesn’t love me any more and I should move on.
She’s 52 and I’m 58. I love her so much. Two months ago she sat me down and told me she didn’t want to sleep with me and could I move into the spare room.
I thought she might be hormonal because of the menopause, and invite me back into our bedroom in a day or so but that day never came.
We’ve been married nearly 30 years and our kids have left home.
I know she’s been chatting to a male colleague on her phone. I’m worried she’s having an affair.
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s possible for anyone to have a midlife crisis but it sounds as if your wife has simply checked out of your relationship.
It is hard when these things come out of the blue. Find a quiet moment and ask her what she wants to do about the relationship.
You can find support with a counsellor through BACP – British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, (bacp.co.uk, 01455 883300), even if separation is the ultimate outcome.
HUBBY’S DRINKING PROBLEM
DEAR DEIDRE: MY husband is downing more and more alcohol on a daily basis. He says he knows when he’s had enough but these days, it’s a shed-load.
He’s 37 and he has a stressful job as a trader in a bank. I’m a stay-at-home mum and we have three children. I’m 35.
He’s always been a good dad but recently he’s ignored the kids and me. He drinks multiple cans of lager, then moves on to wine.
He goes to work the next day and must feel dreadful but doesn’t seem to show it.
We’ve had dreadful rows when he’s drunk but he doesn’t remember the next day. I want my husband back.
I’m scared that his drinking is going to split us up.
DEIDRE SAYS: You can’t fix him. Only he can make the changes he needs to get sober.
There must be something else going on for him so try to talk to him when he’s not had a drink. Explain that you miss the person that he was.
He needs to find emotional support and when he does that, you will be there to help him kick his addiction.
He can find support through We Are With You (wearewithyou.org.uk). My support pack called Dealing With A Problem Drinker explains more.
UNI CREEP WON’T LEAVE ME ALONE
DEAR DEIDRE: A GUY at university won’t stop sending me disgusting texts, saying he wants to caress my body and have sex with me. I have only met him once and he was such a creep.
I’m 19 and I started uni in September. There was a WhatsApp group set up for freshers, which I joined so that I could meet a few people before my start date. The whole thing turned into a nightmare.
We went out to a club and this guy wouldn’t stop hassling me. He was drunk, but he kept pawing at me and trying to put his arm around my waist.
One of the other guys pushed him away and then I went home with one of the girls.
Since then, this pest has not stopped messaging me. He’s told me he loves me.
He mentions all the gross things he wants to do to me. I’m terrified he’ll start sending me explicit photos.
I told somebody in the students’ union, but nothing seems to be done about him.
I don’t know how to deal with him. He’s starting to scare me now.
DEIDRE SAYS: No wonder you’re frightened. He sounds a real menace and it is understandable that you’re worried.
If you can find the courage, message him and say that if the texts and harassment don’t stop, you’re going to the police. Report him to student welfare, too.
He may be obsessed with you or he may have mental health issues. Don’t go out alone and, if things don’t improve, make sure you keep a log of any incidents.
It would be safer to change your phone number to a new one. Put your current SIM in an old phone so that you can keep any messages separate from your daily life. This way you’ll have the evidence to prove what he is doing.
Find further tips through the National Stalking Helpline (stalkinghelpline.org, 0808 802 0300), which helps anyone who is intimidated by another person’s behaviour.
My support pack, called Standing Up For Yourself, will help.