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Claire Hayhurst

Claire Hayhurst is a regional reporter at PA Media, covering the West of England and Wales. She started this role in April 2013 and specialises in general news and crime.

A man has been arrested for sex offences
Crime

Man and woman charged after bodies of two babies found

Wills Memorial Building (Alamy/PA)
UK

Bristol University to remove slave trader Edward Colston’s emblem from logo

The trial was heard at Cardiff Crown Court (Antony Stone/PA)
Crime

Van thief convicted of murdering delivery driver with his own van

Barton House was evacuated on Tuesday evening (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Residents of evacuated Bristol tower block call for independent investigation

Schoolchildren in Bristol protested outside City Hall (Claire Hayhurst/PA)
UK

Children on school strike hand in petition calling for Gaza ceasefire

Barton House in Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Evacuated Bristol tower block was not built according to plans – councillor

Barton House, Bristol, where around 400 residents were evacuated on Tuesday evening after structural problems were discovered (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

‘Shock and panic’ among Bristol residents evacuated from tower block

Lewis Bush murdered his mother at her home (Gwent Police/PA)
Crime

Man who murdered his mother in frenzied attack jailed for life

Huw Evans died in November 2022 (Dyfed-Powys Police/PA)
Home News

Man died after being attacked by cow that escaped market, inquest told

Richard Scatchard is considered a risk to the public (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Police hunt sex offender wanted for questioning over death of woman

Wiltshire Police made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (Anthony Devlin/PA)
UK

Wiltshire Police reviewing domestic violence disclosures under Clare’s Law

Protesters on the house in August (Danny Lawson/PA)
News

Prime Minister submits plans for fence around his home following protest

Queen Camilla with Frankie Dettori as she attends the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire (Lucy North/PA)
UK

Queen unveils statue of Frankie Dettori at Ascot Racecourse

UK

Queen unveils statue of Frankie Dettori at Ascot Racecourse

Queen Camilla with Frankie Dettori as she attends the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire (Lucy North/PA)
Storm Babet is battering the country (Andrew Milligan/PA)
UK

Danger to life flood warning issued in Wales as Storm Babet continues

Wales has become the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph in built-up areas (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
UK

Fears over emergency response in 20mph zones will not materialise – Drakeford

A homemade sub-machine gun found in Reed Wischhusen’s house (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
Crime

Gunman plotted mass shootings from ‘house of horrors’, police say

Prosecutors allege that Reed Wischhusen was fascinated with mass shootings and infamous killers (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
Crime

Jury retires in trial of gunman accused of plotting mass shooting

Prosecutors allege that Reed Wischhusen was fascinated with mass shootings and infamous killers (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
Crime

Jury retires in trial of gunman accused of plotting mass shooting

Stephanie Coxon completed the Three Peaks Challenge (Cygnet Health Care/PA)
UK

Daughter climbs three peaks to scatter father’s ashes and fundraise for charity

Dahlia flower farmer Andie McDowell amid the blooms at Stonehenge (Ben Birchall/PA)
Lifestyle

Victorian dahlia show recreated at Stonehenge with thousands of flowers

Dahlia flower farmer Andie McDowell arranges some of the blooms at Stonehenge (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Victorian dahlia show recreated at Stonehenge with thousands of flowers

Sid is now a fully licensed police dog (South Wales Police/PA)
UK

Abandoned dog poised for ‘long and happy career’ after joining police force

Beryl Purdy died earlier this week at her home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
Crime

Plea hearing date set for man accused of murdering church warden

Lucca Froud set out from Marble Arch in London (University of Bristol/PA)
UK

Novice runner completes seven marathons in seven days for wild fish charity

Beryl Purdy, who died at her home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, Somerset (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Man appears in court charged with murdering church warden

Beryl Purdy, who died at her home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, Somerset (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Man, 36, charged with murdering ‘dearly loved’ church warden

Lucca Froud set out from Marble Arch in London (University of Bristol/PA)
UK

Novice runner completes seven marathons in seven days for wild fish charity

Beryl Purdy, who died at her home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, Somerset (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Man appears in court charged with murdering church warden

Beryl Purdy, who died at her home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, Somerset (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Man, 36, charged with murdering ‘dearly loved’ church warden

Shane Loughlin survived the fatal crash (South Wales Police/PA)
Crime

Man jailed for driving dangerously without a licence before fatal crash

Crime

Man jailed for driving dangerously without a licence before fatal crash

Shane Loughlin survived the fatal crash (South Wales Police/PA)
Christopher Kapessa (Family Handout/PA)
UK

New inquest date set for inquest of schoolboy who drowned in river

A 1.2km stretch of the River Aller was filled in to create a new seven-hectare area of wetland (Ben Birchall/PA)
News

Somerset river reconnected to floodplain following three-year project

The Prince and Princess of Wales at a service in St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire to commemorate the life of the late Queen (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Kate lays flowers at cathedral service in memory of late Queen

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

William and Kate at cathedral to mark anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at St Davids Cathedral, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

William and Kate at cathedral to mark anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death

The Prince and Princess of Wales pictured in Scotland in July (Aaron Chown/PA)
UK

Prince and Princess of Wales to commemorate life of Elizabeth II at cathedral

Pc Mitchell Curtis following a previous hearing at Bristol Magistrates’ Court (Ben Birchall/PA)
Crime

Police officer accused of intentionally suffocating woman to stand trial

Zak O’Neill has been sentenced to be detained in a secure psychiatric hospital for the manslaughter of his his mother, Michelle, whom he stabbed multiple times (Gloucestershire Police/PA)
Crime

Teenager stabbed devoted mother to death during mental health crisis, court told

British explorer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, 66, at his home in Wiltshire (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Explorer excited to add hydrogen balloon attempt to his Atlantic crossings

Floral tributes left near the scene in the St Mellons area of Cardiff (Ben Birchall/PA)a
Crime

Man admits driving dangerously without a licence before fatal crash

Images changed from kites, mountain bikers and dogs into military helicopters and tanks (DIO/PA)
UK

Drone display held over coastal town to highlight military training land risks

Sir David Hempleman-Adams will co-pilot the flight (Torabhaig Single Malt Whisky/PA)
UK

Three explorers aim to be first to cross Atlantic in a hydrogen balloon

Team members crawled through bushes of stinging nettles and over a barbed wire fence to help the injured (Trowbridge Rugby Club Women/PA)
UK

Women’s rugby team praised for ‘saving lives’ after car crash by training pitch

UK

Police will take no further action regarding MP’s leaflet on Traveller sites

Leaky barriers can hold back water after storms, the study showed (Daniel Jones/PA)
Science

Beaver-like dams can protect communities from flooding, study finds

UK

Hot air balloons scatter across Bristol skyline ahead of fiesta

UK

Hot air balloons scatter across Bristol skyline ahead of fiesta

Emma Potter lived in Stroud, Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire Police/PA)
Crime

Man jailed for minimum of 24 years for murdering woman in Stroud

The veteran has raised £500,000 for the charity SSAFA (Ben Birchall/PA)
UK

Ex-paratrooper raises £500k as he completes 19,000-mile coastline charity walk

Chris Lewis is aiming to raise £500,000 for the charity SSAFA, which has supported him (Chris Walks the UK/PA)
UK

Former paratrooper to complete 19,000-mile walk of UK coastline on Saturday

Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Will Kerr (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)
UK

Suspended chief constable ‘strenuously denies any allegations of criminality’

Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Will Kerr (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)
UK

Suspended chief constable ‘strenuously denies any allegations of criminality’

Will Kerr joined Devon and Cornwall Police in December 2022 (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)
UK

Chief constable facing criminal investigation into sexual offence allegations

Chief Constable Will Kerr has been suspended (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)
UK

Chief constable being criminally investigated over sexual offences allegations

Devon and Cornwall police chief Will Kerr has been suspended following allegations of misconduct (PA)
UK

Police chief suspended following misconduct allegations

The case was heard before Bristol Crown Court (PA)
Crime

Trial date set for four men accused of attacking NHS worker who was ‘hit by car’

The hopscotch trails are situated in Bristol (Under The Wing Productions/PA)
UK

Giant hopscotch trails painted to celebrate 650 years of Bristol as a city

Charles and Camilla meet Melissa Davies (left) and her son Rupert during a visit to Brecon Cathedral (Andrew Matthews/PA)
UK

Schoolchildren welcome King and Queen on first visit to Wales since coronation

Ella Lambert, 23, from Chelmsford in Essex, was a languages student at the University of Bristol when she learned to stitch using YouTube videos (University of Bristol/PA)
UK

Organisation sewing reusable sanitary pads for refugees gets charity status

Researchers found bat’s activity decreased in some species during periods of music playback (Alamy/PA)
Science

Loud music festivals could reduce some bats’ activity by almost 50% – study

The King and Queen during a visit to St Ives Harbour, Cornwall (Finnbarr Webster/PA)
UK

King and Queen make waves at the seaside on Cornwall trip

Officials have issued a warning over a batch of heroin which is believed to claimed six lives in Bristol (Paul Faith/PA)
UK

Warning issued over dangerous heroin batch after six people die

Chris Lewis and his family at the Severn Bridge on Wednesday (Bronwen Weatherby/PA)
UK

Man walking UK coastline for charity reaches home country of Wales

UK

Man walking UK coastline for charity reaches home country of Wales

Chris Lewis and his family at the Severn Bridge on Wednesday (Bronwen Weatherby/PA)
<p>Mabli Cariad Hall’s parents say she was “adored” by them and her siblings </p>
Home News

Parents of baby girl who died in crash outside hospital pay tribute

Chief Constable Sarah Crew (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
UK

Avon and Somerset Police ‘institutionally racist’, chief constable says

Mikey Roynon, from Kingswood in Bristol, died from a single stab wound at a property in Eastfield Avenue in the Weston area of Bath at about 11pm on Saturday (Jordan Reynolds/PA)
Crime

Provisional trial date set for youths accused of murdering teenage boy in Bath

Two teenage boys have been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old who died after being attacked at a house party (Jordan Reynolds/PA)
Crime

Two teenage boys charged with murder of Mikey Roynon in Bath

Two teenage boys have been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old who died after being attacked at a house party (Jordan Reynolds/PA)
Crime

Two teenage boys charged with murder of Mikey Roynon in Bath

Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon (R-Jay/Alamy/PA)
Crime

Boy, 16, in court charged after three injured at private school

Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon (R-Jay/Alamy/PA)
Crime

Boy, 16, appears in court charged after three injured at private school

Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon (R-Jay/Alamy/PA)
UK

Teenage boy in critical condition after serious incident at Devon private school

Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the site of Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon, following reports of a serious assault (R-JayAlamy/PA)
UK

Boy, 16, arrested after two students seriously injured at private school

(PA)
UK

Man arrested following death of prisoner at Bristol prison

Fraudster Sajad Hussain was jailed for five years and three months (Wiltshire Police/PA)
Crime

Romance fraudster jailed for conning three women out of more than £200,000

Three people on a giant inflatable duck had to be rescued after it drifted out to sea (RNLI/Matthew Rowe/PA)
UK

Three people rescued after giant inflatable duck drifts out to sea

Screengrab from CCTV footage of drunk Dorothy Denny driving the wrong way on the M5 (Gloucestershire Constabulary/PA)
UK

Footage shows crash caused by drunk woman driving wrong way on M5

Keilan Roberts was jailed on Tuesday (Gwent Police/PA)
Crime

Man jailed for causing death of teenage girl by driving under influence of drugs

<p>National Lottery urges everyone who bought a ticket in the area to check their numbers </p>
Home News

Search for National Lottery winner narrowed to one English town

Timothy Schofield, the brother of TV presenter Phillip Schofield, appearing in the dock at Bristol Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
Crime

Boy describes impact of being abused by Timothy Schofield

Timothy Schofield (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)
Crime

Brother of TV star Phillip Schofield to be sentenced for child sex offences

<p>Lexi-Rose Crawford arriving at Bristol Crown Court </p>
Crime

Transgender woman jailed for rape sent to male prison

<p>Sergeant David Stansbury was working for Devon and Cornwall Police when the alleged offences happened </p>
Crime

Police officer pleads not guilty to three counts of rape

Pomp And Circumstance Adversus by British contemporary artist Dan Llewelyn Hall is installed at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London (Aaron Chown/PA)
UK

Artist behind portrait of late Queen unveils painting of coronation procession

Samuel Warnock appeared via videolink at Salisbury Law Courts (Alamy/PA)
Crime

Father charged with murdering three-month-old baby daughter

<p>Sergeant David Stansbury was working for Devon and Cornwall Police when the alleged offences happened </p>
Crime

Police officer pleads not guilty to three counts of rape

Pomp And Circumstance Adversus by British contemporary artist Dan Llewelyn Hall is installed at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London (Aaron Chown/PA)
UK

Artist behind portrait of late Queen unveils painting of coronation procession

Samuel Warnock appeared via videolink at Salisbury Law Courts (Alamy/PA)
Crime

Father charged with murdering three-month-old baby daughter

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Jake Hill at Truro Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
Crime

Judge warns of social media risk to fair trial of Bodmin murder accused

<p>Mr Allen, who played for Bodmin RFC, died at the scene </p>
Crime

Man in court charged with murdering rugby player near nightclub

Cardiff Crown Court where jury found Olabisi Abubakar not guilty by reason of insanity (Barry Batchelor/PA)
Crime

Mother who fasted son to death during Covid-19 lockdown was insane, jury finds

Cardiff Crown Court (Antony Stone/PA)
Crime

Jury considers verdicts in trial of mother accused of fasting son to death

Bristol Crown Court (Ben Birchall/PA)
Crime

Pc who appeared in TV show denies two charges of sexual activity with a child

Olabisi Abubakar is on trila at Cardiff Crown Court (Barry Batchelor/PA)
Crime

Mother accused of starving son ‘locked herself away’ during pandemic, court told

Lola James (Dyfed-Powys Police/PA)
Crime

Stepfather convicted of murdering toddler has shown no remorse, prosecutors say

(Antony Stone/PA)
Crime

Mother accused of killing son, three, through fasting during lockdown

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