Charles Sobhraj

Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj (born April 6, 1944), better known as Charles Sobhraj, is a French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese origin, who preyed on Western tourists throughout Southeast Asia during the 1970s. Nicknamed "the Serpent" and "the Bikini killer" for his skill at deception and evasion, he allegedly committed at least 12 murders. He was convicted and jailed in India from 1976 to 1997, but managed to live a life of leisure even in prison. After his release, he retired as a celebrity in Paris; he unexpectedly returned to Nepal, where he was arrested, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment on August 12, 2004. While Sobhraj is widely believed to be a psychopath—he has a manipulative personality and is incapable of remorse—his motives for killing differed from those of most serial killers. Sobhraj was not driven to murder by deep-seated, violent impulses, but as a means to sustain his lifestyle of adventure. That, as well as his cunning and cultured personality, made him a celebrity long before his release from prison. Sobhraj enjoyed the attention, charging large amounts of money for interviews and film rights; he has been the subject of four books and three documentaries. His search for attention and his overconfidence in his own intelligence are believed responsible for his return to a country where authorities were still eager to arrest him.

Early years

Sobhraj was born as Gurmukh Sobhraj to an unwed Vietnamese mother and an Indian father (Sindhi tailor) in Saigon. The father soon deserted the family. The mother blamed the child. Stateless at first, he was adopted by his mother's new boyfriend, a French army lieutenant stationed in Indochina. However, he was neglected in favour of the couple's later children. Sobhraj continued to move back and forth between France and Indochina with the family, not feeling at home in either place. As a teenager he developed personality problems and turned to petty crime.
Sobhraj received his first jail sentence (for burglary) in 1963, serving at Poissy prison near Paris. However, not only did he weather the harsh conditions of jail, he managed to manipulate the prison official into granting him special favours like being allowed to keep books in his cell, etc. At around the same time he met and endeared himself to Felix d'Escogne.
After being paroled, Sobhraj moved in with d'Escogne and shared his time between moving in the high society of Paris and the criminal underworld. He soon started accumulating riches through a series of scams and burglaries. During this time, he met and began a relationship with Chantal who was from a conservative Parisian family. On the night he proposed to her, Sobhraj was arrested for evading police while driving a stolen car. He was sentenced back to prison time in Poissy for eight months. Chantal remained supportive during his prison time. Sobhraj and Chantal were married upon his release.

Soon after, facing mounting suspicions by French authorities, he and a now pregnant Chantal left France for Asia to escape arrest. After travelling through Eastern Europe on fake documents and robbing people who befriended them, they arrived around in Bombay in 1970. Here Chantal gave birth to a baby girl.While in Bombay, the couple made a good impression on the expatriate community there. In the meantime, Sobhraj resumed his criminal lifestyle by running a car theft and smuggling operation. The profits from this operation of which were used towards his growing gambling addiction.
In 1970, Sobhraj was arrested and imprisoned after a unsuccessful armed robbery attempt on a jewellery store in Hotel Ashoka. Sobhraj did manage to escape with Chantal's help and faking illness, but they were re-captured shortly afterwards. He borrowed money for bail from his father in Saigon and soon after fled to Kabul in Afghanistan.

In Kabul, the couple continued robbing tourists on the "hippie trail" only to be arrested once again. But Sobhraj escaped, the same way he had in India, feigning illness and drugging the hospital guard. This time Sobhraj fled to Iran leaving his family behind. Chantal, although still loyal to him, wishing to leave their criminal past behind, returned to France and vowed never see him again.
Sobhraj spent the next two years on the run, using as many as 10 stolen passports and visiting several countries in East Europe and the Middle East. He was joined in Istanbul by André, his younger brother. Sobhraj and André quickly became partners in many crimes in both Turkey and Greece. Both were eventually arrested in Athens. After an identity-switch plan gone wrong, Sobhraj escaped in his usual manner. But he left his brother behind. André was turned over to the Turkish police by Greek authorities. He had to serve an 18-year sentence

Murders

On the run again, Sobhraj financed his lifestyle by posing as a mysterious drug dealer to impress tourists and defrauding them when they let their guard down. In Thailand, he met Marie-Andrée Leclerc from Lévis, Quebec, one of many tourists looking for adventure in the East. Subjugated by Sobhraj's personality, Leclerc quickly became his most devoted follower, turning a blind eye to his crimes and his philandering with local women.
Sobhraj started gathering followers by helping them out of difficult situations, indebting them to him while he actually was the very cause of their misery. In one case, he helped two former French policemen, named Yannick and Jacques, to recover their passports that he himself had stolen; in another, he provided shelter and comfort to another Frenchman named Dominique Rennelleau, whose apparent dysentery illness was actually the results of poisoning by Sobhraj. He was also joined by a young Indian named Ajay Chowdhury, a fellow criminal who became his lieutenant. Sobhraj wanted to start a criminal "family" of sorts, in the style of Charles Manson's.

It was then that Sobhraj and Chowdhury committed their first (known) murders in 1975. Most of the victims had spent some time with the "clan" before their deaths and were, according to some investigators, potential recruits who had threatened to expose Sobhraj. The first victim was a young woman from Seattle, Teresa Knowlton, who was found burned like many of Sobhraj's other victims. Soon thereafter, a young American Jennie Bollivar, was found drowned in a tidal pool in the Gulf of Thailand, wearing a flowered bikini. It was only months later that the autopsy and forensic evidence revealed the drowning to be murder.
The next victim was a young, nomadic Sephardic Jew named Vitali Hakim, whose burned body was found on the road to the Pattaya resort where Sobhraj and his clan were staying.
Dutch students Henk Bintanja, 29, and his fiancée Cornelia Hemker, 25, were invited to Thailand after meeting Sobhraj in Hong Kong. Just as he had done to Dominique, Sobhraj poisoned them, and then nurtured them back to health to gain their obedience. As they recovered, Sobhraj was visited by his previous victim Hakim's French girlfriend, Charmayne Carrou, coming to investigate her boyfriend's disappearance. Fearing exposure, Sobhraj and Chowdhury quickly hustled the couple out; their bodies were found strangled and burned on December 16, 1975. Soon after, Carrou was found drowned in circumstances similar to Jennie's, and wearing a similar-styled swimsuit. Although the murders of both women were not connected by investigations at the time, they would later earn Sobhraj the nickname of "the bikini killer."

On December 18, the day the bodies of Bintanja and Hemker were identified, Sobhraj and Leclerc entered Nepal using the couple's passports. There they met and, on December 21-22, murdered Canadian Laurent Ormond Carrière, 26 and Californian Connie Bronzich, 29. (The two victims were incorrectly identified in some sources as Laddie DuParr and Annabella Tremont.) Sobhraj and Leclerc then returned to Thailand, once again using their latest victims' passport before their bodies could be identified.
Upon his return to Thailand, Sobhraj discovered that his three French companions had started to suspect him, found documents belonging to the murder victims, and fled to Paris after notifying local authorities.
Sobhraj then went to Calcutta, where he murdered Israeli scholar Avoni Jacob for his passport, and used it to move to Singapore with Leclerc and Chowdhury, then to India and - rather boldly - back to Bangkok in March 1976. There they were interrogated by Thai policemen in connection with the murders, but easily let off the hook because authorities feared that the negative publicity accompanying a murder trial would harm the country's tourist trade.

Not so easily silenced, however, was Dutch embassy diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who was investigating the murder of the two Dutch backpackers, and suspected Sobhraj even though he did not know his real name. Knippenberg started to build a case against him, partly with the help of Sobhraj's neighbour. Given police permission to conduct his own search of Sobhraj's apartment (a full month after the suspect had left the country), Knippenberg found a great deal of evidence, such as victims' documents and poison-laced medicines. He would from then on accumulate evidence against Sobhraj for decades, despite the lack of cooperation by law enforcement.
The trio's next stop was in Malaysia, where Chowdhury was sent on a gem-stealing errand, and disappeared after giving the jewels to Sobhraj. No trace of him was ever found, and it is widely believed that Sobhraj murdered his former accomplice before leaving with Leclerc to sell the jewels in Geneva.
Soon back in Asia, Sobhraj started rebuilding his clan, starting in Bombay with two lost Western women named Barbara Sheryl Smith and Mary Ellen Eather. His next victim was Frenchman Jean-Luc Solomon, who succumbed to the poison intended to incapacitate him during a robbery.

In July 1976 in New Delhi, Sobhraj and the three women tricked a tour group of post-graduate French students into accepting them as guides. He then drugged them with pills which he pretended were anti-dysentery medicine. However, when the drugs started acting too quickly and the students started dropping unconscious where they stood, three of them quickly realized what was happening and overcame Sobhraj, leading to his capture by police. During interrogation, Barbara and Mary Ellen quickly cracked and confessed everything. Sobhraj was charged with the murder of Solomon, and all four were sent to Tihar prison outside New Delhi while awaiting formal trial.
Conditions inside the notorious prison were unbearable; both Barbara and Mary Ellen attempted suicide during the two years before their trial. Sobhraj, however, had entered with precious gems concealed in his body and was experienced in bribing captors and living comfortably in jail.
Sobhraj turned his trial into a show, hiring and firing lawyers at whim, bringing in his recently-paroled and still-loyal brother André to help, and eventually going on a hunger strike. He was nonetheless sentenced to 12 years in prison instead of the expected death penalty. Leclerc was found guilty of the drugging of the French students, then later paroled and returned to Canada when she developed ovarian cancer. She was still claiming her innocence, and reportedly still loyal to Sobhraj, when she died at home in April 1984.

Sobhraj's systematic bribery of prison guards at Tihar reached outrageous levels. He led a life of luxury inside the jail, with TV, and gourmet food, having befriended both the guards and the prisoners. He would walk in and out of jail whenever he wanted in his notoriety, he gave interviews to Western authors and journalists, such as Oz magazine's Richard Neville in the late 1970s, and Alan Dawson in 1984. He freely talked about his murders, while never actually admitting to them, and pretended that his actions were in retaliation against Western imperialism in Asia, an excuse which most criminologists find highly doubtful.
He also needed to find a way to prolong his sentence, since the 20-year Thai arrest warrant against him would still be valid on his intended release date, leading to his deportation and almost certain execution. So in March 1986, on his tenth year in prison, he threw a big party for his prisoner and guard friends and, having drugged them with sleeping pills, walked out of the jail.
Shobhraj was quickly caught in Goa and had his prison term prolonged by 10 years, just as he had hoped. On February 17, 1997, 52-year old Sobhraj was released, with most warrants, evidence and even witnesses against him long lost. Without any country to deport him to, Indian authorities let him return to France.

Celebrity and re-capture

Sobhraj retired to a comfortable life in suburban Paris. He hired a publicity agent and charged large sums of money for interviews and photographs. He is said to have charged over $15 million for the rights to a movie based on his life
In September 17, 2003 Sobhraj was unexpectedly spotted in a street of Kathmandu by a journalist. The journalist quickly reported this to the Nepalese authorities who arrested him two days later in the casino of the Yak and Yeti hotel. Sobhraj's motives for returning to Nepal remain unknown. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kathmandu district court in August 20, 2004 for the 1975 murders of Bronzich and Carrière. Most of the evidence used against him in this case was drawn from that painstakingly gathered by Knippenberg and Interpol.
Sobhraj appealed against the conviction claiming that he was sentenced without trial. His lawyer also announced that Chantal, Sobhraj's wife in France, was filing a case before the European Court of Human Rights against the French government, for refusing to provide him with any assistance.
Sobhraj's conviction was confirmed by the Kathmandu Court of Appeals in 2005.

Current status

In late 2007, news media reported that Sobhraj's lawyer had appealed to the current French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, for intervention with Nepal. Sobhraj's lawyer claims that he has been the victim of racism. In 2008, Sobhraj announced his engagement to Nihita Biswas (aged 20) from Nepal. The couple have announced marriage in France if Sobhraj was released by the Nepalese supreme court. On 7 July, 2008, issuing a press release through his fiancee Nihita, he claimed that was never convicted of murder by any court and asked media not to refer to him as a serial killer. Later, it has been claimed that he married his fiancee Nihita Biswas on October 9, 2008, on the occasion of Bada Dashami, a Nepalese festival, in a much famed, but not publicised wedding, that took place in the jail itself. On the following day, Nepal jail authorities dismissed the claim of his marriage. They said that Nihita and her family had been allowed to conduct a tika ceremony, along with the relatives of hundreds of other prisoners. They further claimed that it was not a wedding but part of the ongoing Dashain festival, when elders put the vermilion mark on the foreheads of those younger to them to signify their blessings.

Bibliography

• Julie Clarke & Richard Neville (1980). The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj. Pan Macmillan.
• Thomas Thompson (1979). Serpentine. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
• Julie Clarke & Richard Neville (1989). Shadow of the Cobra. Penguin Books Ltd.
• Farrukh Dhondy (2008). The Bikini Murders. Harper Collins India.

Films

• The made for TV movie Shadow of the Cobra (1989) is based on Sobhraj^.

And for your first duty Mr Hurley: Shane Warne plays dutiful fiancé as he joins Liz at Estee Lauder charity event

By EMILY SHERIDAN


Mr and Mrs: Shane Warne supports Elizabeth Hurley as she promotes Estee Lauder's breast cancer awareness campaign at Jenners department store in Edinburgh

They've only been engaged a matter of days, but it looks like Shane Warne is fitting into the role of dutiful fiancé very nicely.

In his dapper suit and pink tie, the cricketer, 42, complemented his future wife Elizabeth Hurley perfectly as she hosted a breast cancer charity event in Edinburgh.

The metrosexual Australian proudly stood back as the Austin Powers actress spoke about Estee Lauder's fundraising campaign at the Jenners department store.

Can't take my eyes off you: Warne gazes at his bride-to-be as she speaks about the campaign

Aside from her striking pink dress, all eyes were on Hurley's £50,000 diamond and sapphire engagement ring.

After speaking about the campaign, Hurley pressed a button to light up the front of the historic department store in pink.

Although happy to join her on stage and pose for photos, Warne was just there to support his fiancée, letting her do all the talking.

That's my girl: The event marked the couple's first public outing since their engagement on Friday night

Ahead of the launch, he wrote on his Twitter page: 'Looking forward to accompanying EH to light up Jenners tonight in Edinburgh in aid of breast cancer research ! Well done E !!!! Xxx.'

Clearly still reeling in her excitement at the proposal, Hurley tweeted: 'Come back to see me light the store pink at 6pm. Hoping my Big Blonde fiancé will be helping me...'

Divorced father-of-three Warne popped the question to the model at St Andrews on Friday after a whirlwind 10-month romance.

Their plans to wed come just four months after she divorced first husband Arun Nayar after four years of marriage.

In the pink: Hurley wore the campaign's signature pink colour for her big moment

Warne did take to his Twitter page on Sunday to deny speculation he proposed during a lavish dinner at the Dunhill golf tournament.

He said: 'Thanks so much again for all your kind messages, they mean a lot.

'EH & I very happy and have had a beautiful lazy day today... I didn't propose in front of 200 people at dinner It was done privately and was very romantic - if I say so myself. Ps left knee is sore !!!.'

Among those to congratulate the pair were Zac Goldsmith, Darren Gough, Damien Martyn and Kevin Pietersen.

Brightening up a drizzly day: The Jenners department store was turned pink as part of Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Month


source:dailymail

Zara's heart to heart with blonde socialite who kissed Mike Tindall

By Ryan Kisiel and Rebecca English


Zara Phillips rang the woman seen kissing her husband on a drunken night out in New Zealand to get reassurance that nothing more happened.

The Queen’s granddaughter, who married England rugby star Mike Tindall just six weeks before he was caught on CCTV cavorting with Jessica Palmer, was shocked to discover the pair used to date.

So she asked for a heart-to-heart talk with the Sydney-based socialite.

Clear the air: Jessica Palmer spoke to Zara Phillips on the phone about the incident (pictured in Sydney on Tuesday)

Miss Palmer, 29, insisted nothing untoward happened and that they were ‘just two mates mucking around’.

But she apologised profusely for any embarrassment to the 30-year-old royal.

Miss Phillips apparently accepted the explanation and the pair have agreed to put the incident behind them.

A friend said: ‘She took it remarkably well, considering.’

Today the Daily Mail revealed the mystery woman at the centre of the furore as Miss Palmer.

Scandal: Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall married just six weeks before he was caught on CCTV cavorting with Jessica Palmer (pictured at the Gloucestershire home last December)

She enjoyed a year-long relationship with Tindall in 2002, shortly before he met his future wife.

When they split they remained close friends.

Miss Palmer has met Miss Phillips on dozens of occasions and even attended the couple’s wedding in July, alongside the Queen.

Three weeks ago CCTV footage emerged of Tindall nuzzling, kissing and hugging a woman during a ‘wild’ night out with the England rugby team in Queenstown, New Zealand at the start of the World Cup.

Miss Phillips was initially said to be ‘dismissive’ of the incident, while her agent insisted the girl was just an old university friend of Tindall, 32.

CCTV footage: Mike Tindall caught flirting with Jessica in The Altitude Bar in Queenstown, NZ

Apology: Jessica (pictured with Mike in CCTV footage) apologised profusely for any embarrassment to the 30-year-old royal

But it now appears she was not aware the pair had been romantically involved.

After flying to New Zealand a week after the scandal broke, she called Miss Palmer, who had fled home to Sydney.

A close friend told the Daily Mail: ‘You can see why they didn’t mention [their relationship] to her before as there was no need to.

'They were close friends and went back to being close friends. But you can also see why Zara was upset.

‘She rang Jess and they had “clear the air” talks. Jess told her nothing happened, nothing untoward and they were just mates mucking around.

'Zara took it very well, they’re still friends and I think just wants to move on.’

Miss Palmer’s former school friend Vanessa Rooth added: ‘She’s upset as this has been blown out of all proportion.’

Tindall’s spokesman has said the star does not want to comment further.


source:dailymail

Cheeky! Phillip Schofield can't resist getting to grips with Holly Willoughby's bottom as she shows off her curves in a form-fitting dress

By Sarah Bull


Cheeky! Phillip Schofield couldn't resist getting to grips with Holly Willoughby's bottom during a cookery demonstration on This Morning


She's got a curvy figure lusted after men all over the world.

So Phillip Schofield could be forgiven for getting slightly over-excited when he saw his This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby showing off her curves in a form-fitting red dress today.

And when the pair joined in a cookery demonstration with chef Gino D'Acampo on the ITV1 show today, Phillip couldn't resist getting to grips with Holly's bottom - planting a cheeky flour handprint on his co-presenter's curvy rear.

You've ruined my dress! But Phillip clearly thought his floury handprints on Holly's rear were hilarious, and posted a picture on Twitter

Holly, who had been learning how to make a pizza with Gino and Phillip, looked stunned as the silver fox grabbed her behind, but appeared to take it in good humour as Phillip later posted a picture of his handprints on her red dress on his Twitter page.

He accompanied the photo with the caption: 'Plain flour? @hollywills ? The temptation was just too much! :)'

Later in the day, Holly was seen showing off her figure in her stunning red dress as she and Phillip shot scenes for the show outside on London's South Bank.

Watch the master in action: Holly and Phillip learned how to make a pizza with Gino D'Acampo

Despite looking incredible in the autumnal outfit, size 12 Holly said previously that she wasn't concerned about losing her baby weight in a hurry.

Following the birth of her son Harry, Holly said: 'Even before I had Harry I was never that skinny, so I'm not worried about it.'

'I've loved seeing the changes in my shape. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to be huge!'

Al fresco broadcast: Holly and Phillip were later seen filming a fashion segment outside on London's South Bank

Red hot: Holly, who gave birth to daughter Belle in April, looked stunning in her form-fitting red dress

Holly returned to This Morning in September after taking maternity leave following the birth of gorgeous daughter Belle.

And as she returned to the ITV morning programme, Holly said: 'It has been wonderful becoming a mum again and spending time with my family but I'm really looking forward to being back on the sofa with Phillip and seeing the team again.'

She added that she and husband Dan Baldwin aren't planning on expanding their family any more in the near future, laughing: 'I keep having children which I'm not going to do for a little while now.'

Autumnal style: Holly teamed the dress with a pair of animal-print heels


source:dailymail

Who's that girl? Jodie Marsh shows off her amazing new look as she makes her bodybuilding debut at championships

By Sarah Bull


Who's that girl? Jodie Marsh showed off her amazing new look at a bodybuilding championships after just eight weeks of training


She was once famous for her curves, making a name for herself as one of the country's foremost glamour models.

And now Jodie Marsh's body is making the headlines once again - but for very different reasons.

The 32-year-old star was seen showing off her muscular new body as she entered the Natural Physique Association (NPA) Mike Williams Classic and Pro-Am Bodybuilding Championships last month.

Buff: The 32-year-old former glamour model has gone from a size 10 to a size six, and from 25 per cent body fat to 10 per cent body fat


Jodie looks completely unrecognisable after undertaking a gruelling diet and exercise regime which has seen her go from a size 10 to a tiny size six.

Talking about her new figure, Jodie said: 'This is the best I’ve ever felt, and the best my body has ever felt too.

'In just 50 days I have gone from 25 per cent body fat to 10 per cent body fat, gained 8 pounds of muscle, and lost 20 pounds of fat. In 8 weeks I have achieved what normally takes 6 to 9 months.'

Winner: Jodie came in fifth position in the Natural Physique Association (NPA) Mike Williams Classic and Pro-Am Bodybuilding Championships

Battling it out: Jodie flexes her muscles as she takes to the stage for her turn


And Jodie's new body, honed by personal trainer Tim Sharp, saw her come in fifth position in the world-famous championships in Sheffield.

She said: 'I’m really happy I’m going home with a trophy. If I can do this in eight weeks, competing against the best of the best in the UK, then what else can I achieve with more training time?

'I’m 100 per cent confident that if I had more time to train I could have placed in the top three and go through to finals. We’ll have to see what happens next year!'

Transformed: Jodie has been working with personal trainer Tim Sharp to achieve her new body

Strict: The glamour model has been sticking to an intense diet and exercise regime to get in shape for the contest


Under the guidance of Sharp, Jodie's eight-week regime saw her sticking to an incredibly strict diet, as well as cutting out nightclubs and all alcohol.

Former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Jodie revealed last year she had started bodybuilding and was hoping to enter the competition this year.

She said: 'I started training with a personal trainer called Tim Sharp last December in my local gym.

Working it: Jodie says she has never felt better than she does now after working to get into shape

Check out my six pack! Jodie lifts up her top to show off her newly-formed six pack of muscles

The trainer: Jodie poses with her trophy and personal trainer Tim Sharp after coming in fifth


'At first, I just wanted to lose weight and tone up - I was soft all over. But within two weeks, I had definition in my stomach.

'As I saw my body changing, I really liked my muscles and as Tim is a bodybuilder, it just went from there. I feel a million dollars.

'I feel proud of myself. I've always been confident, but I've had moments where I haven't wanted people to see me naked.'


source:dailymail

Being fat was horrible says Gary Barlow as he speaks of battle with depression after Take That split

By LIZ THOMAS

Bigger: Gary Barlow looking thinner this year for X Factor (left) and at his heaviest at a 'Party in the Park' charity concert in 1999 in London's Hyde Park (right)

X Factor judge Gary Barlow has revealed that he is still traumatised by his battle with obesity and depression following the break-up of Take That.

Barlow has now brought his weight below 12st – from a peak of 16st 11lb – thanks to eating less and exercising more.

At his heaviest he had a body mass index of 34.7, classifying him as obese.


Slimline: Gary with Robbie Williams at judges' houses on the X Factor last weekend

Barlow said: ‘I felt horrible. I felt s***. For someone so big, I felt incredibly small.’

The 40-year-old enjoyed brief solo success after Take That split up in 1996, but was dropped by record label Sony BMG after his second album flopped.

He told Radio Times that his weight gain was ‘about food, obviously, because I was shoving it in my mouth, but it was more about a reaction to who I’d been’.

He added: ‘I’d decided, “OK, nobody wants me, but I don’t want to do it anyway, and to make sure I don’t do it again, this is how I’m going to look”.
‘I realised afterwards it was a form of depression.’


On song: Barlow with fellow Take That members (left to right) Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Robbie Williams and Mark Owen

He explained: 'The fat was a protective coating. As I got bigger, I found I didn't need a hat or sunglasses. I had my disguise wrapped around me. Then one day, in December 2001, Dawn said: "Babe, I think you should go and see the doctor."

Read the full interview with Gary Barlow in this week's Radio Times


source: dailymail

Don't look right, David: Busty female fan vies for Becks' attention as he signs autographs after losing his cool on the pitch

By AMELIA PROUD

Hey David, sign my shirt!: A busty blonde fan attempts to get the football superstar's attention after his game with LA Galaxy

He's been caught eyeing up other women in the past, so it's little wonder David Beckham kept his eye firmly on the task at hand while signing autographs after seeing red while playing for LA Galaxy this week.

The midfield maestro, 36, stepped over to sign a piece of paper for one of his adoring fans when the woman to his right appeared to be trying to get his attention.

Just a glance to his right would've had David confronted with quite a sight. However, he appeared to keep his focus and his cool.


Row: The England star argues with Salt Lake's manager Jason Kreis

Which is more than can be said for his performance on the pitch, where he blew his top.

And it must've been justified, as the 36-year-old sporting hero blew a gasket in front of his three young sons.

It was a big night for them, as Brooklyn, 12, nine-year-old Romeo and Cruz, six, got to be mascots for the match.


Heated: Goalkeeper Nick Rimando of Real Salt Lake and other players joined the fracas


Break it up: Beckham was pushed back as he remonstrated with Kreis


Fuming: The former England skipper became very animated as he reached boiling point

Honoured: Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz seemed delighted to welcome the teams onto the pitch


source: dailymail

'Nothing would have stopped me': Fearless Cheryl Cole says she was ready for anything in Afghanistan, even being held at gunpoint

By MARCUS BARNES

In the thick of it: Cheryl Cole takes part in a demonstration by 42 Commando Royal Marines in Helmand Province conducting a compound clearance followed by a casualty evacuation via a Chinook helicopter

Cheryl Cole has admitted that she was frightened by the training she received before her trip to Afghanistan but she revealed that nothing would have stopped her traveling to the middle east to boost the morale of British troops.

The 28-year-old singer went on the visit to British troops last month and says she was prepared for the worst - including having a gun held to her head.

She braved the dangers of war to spend time with troops in the treacherous Helmand Province.


Up close and personal: The singer witnessed dramatic demonstrations during her time with British troops in Afghanistan


Trigger happy: Cheryl waits to be handed a rifle by one of the troops during her morale-boosting visit

Cheryl, who was followed by the Daily Mirror as part of their Pride Of Britain awards, revealed to the newspaper: 'Before I went out I was given war training which was pretty full-on and quite scary.

'They warn you about coping with all kinds of scary scenarios - things like having a gun put to your head.

'I was warned before I went out there that it could be dangerous. But nothing was going to stop me from going. And I'm just so glad I did.'


Left, right, left, right!: The former X Factor judge is put though her paces in a training session


Taking it in her stride: Cheryl said she'd been scared during pre-Afghanistan training but she ready for anything - even a gun to the head

The former X Factor judge took part in a demonstration by 42 Commando Royal Marines conducting a compound clearance followed by a casualty evacuation via a Chinook helicopter.

She said that she had never experienced so much dust in her life after the helicopter came in to extract the casualty.

Cheryl also spent time with members of the Afghan national army, as well as our own British troops


No messing around: She was placed in real-life situations during the demonstration - here a 'casualty' is tended to while they await help

She added: 'Afghanistan was an unbelievable experience. The whole trip was incredible. The men and women I met out there were inspirational, and so amazingly brave and dedicated.

'I've stayed in touch with some of the troops through Twitter and they've been sending nice messages. It was a privilege to see what goes on out there.'

Cheryl also revealed she had exchanged numbers with one soldier and was planning to call him.


What a carry on: Cheryl joins in as troops carry a 'casualty' to their pick up point

She said: 'Not only are the soldiers incredibly brave, a few were also incredibly cute. I came back with a phone number.

'He started chatting to me - I think it was for a dare - after I'd been 'shot' during a training exercise. It wasn't real ammunition but it was still terrifying.

'I think I'll call him this week and we'll see what happens. I'm sure he's not expecting me to ring but that's why it'll be funny - and that's why I'm going to do it.'


In the driving seat: Cheryl also took charge of a Jackal vehicle during the visit to Camp Bastion


Keeping watch: Cheryl crouches beside a soldier from 1 RIFLES during an exercise at Camp Bastion in which soldiers carried out a patrol, held a shura and dealt with a casualty


Safety first: The singer makes sure her helmet is securely attached to her head as she prepare to get involved in a demonstration with the troops


Fighting spirit: Cheryl met troops from 3 Commando Brigade who are serving as Task Force Helmand and personnel from Joint Force Support in Afghanistan who are currently deployed on Operation Herrick


Lifting spirits: Troops were buoyed by Cheryl's appearance - here she poses with members of the Afghan National Army

Cheryl added: 'I always had admiration for what the guys do out here, but seeing them here at work is awe inspiring.

'I'm delighted to be here to recognise all the hard work they do. Every one of them is a hero in my book.'

One solider said of Cheryl's trip: 'She's a stunner and having her out here has lifted morale.

She's probably the biggest star to visit. Fair play to her, it's a dangerous place to come.'


Happy to be here: The Girls Aloud star poses with members of 3 Commando Brigade's Brigade Reconnaissance Force, an elite unit of soldiers and Marines who are part of 30 Commando Royal Marines


CHERYL COLE: Footage of the star in Afghanistan



source : dailymail