Essex, UK

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/26734795

Police were called to a comedy show in Essex after a fight broke out in the audience, which reportedly led to a man being assaulted.

Inquiries are ongoing after the altercation at the end of standup comic Paul Chowdhry’s performance of his Englandia tour at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend.

Theatre management said a “small number of customers expressed their frustration” towards another customer who had been heckling the act throughout the evening.

Police officers attended the scene after reports of a disturbance. An Essex police spokesperson said: “It was reported a fight had broken out and a man was assaulted. No serious injuries were reported, officers attended and inquiries are ongoing.”

Chowdhry recorded footage on his phone while he was being heckled on stage, which he posted to Instagram. The comedian playfully swore at his heckler and said: “I’m gonna take a picture and make sure you’re never gonna get back in.”

Chowdhry also captured some of the disruption in the crowd afterwards. “Big fight is broken out after the show,” he said in the video. “It’s properly kicked off out here this evening. There was some riots here and now some people are probably kicking off tonight … I want to keep out of harm’s way because I might get jumped.”

In a statement the comedian added: “We live in a time when some people feel entitled to disrupt live performances, affecting the experience for everyone else. Let me be absolutely clear: I do not condone violence in any form.

“Live entertainment should be a space where people come together to enjoy and engage – not to create conflict. Hopefully, nothing like this happens at the O2 Arena in London this Thursday – it’s a little trickier managing 10,000 people.”

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Chowdhry is not the only comedian to have an issue with hecklers in recent weeks. Peter Kay threw two rowdy audience members out of his show at the AO Arena in Manchester, saying the repeated disruptions had made it impossible to continue.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/15567998

Members of an "anti-establishment cult" who stormed into a court with handcuffs have been found guilty of trying to kidnap a coroner.

Mark Christopher, 59, Matthew Martin, 47, Shiza Harper, 45, and Sean Harper, 38, wanted to "shut down" Essex Coroner's Court and abduct senior coroner Lincoln Brookes in April 2023.

They were part of a "conspiracy theory" group who believed they could overrule the judicial system in England and Wales, a trial heard.

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Det Ch Insp Nathan Hutchinson said it had been an "intimidating and traumatising ordeal" for all involved.

"The ideologies of this group were concerning and they genuinely believed that they had the power to construct their own legal system, threaten others and were above English law," he said.

The defendants were part of an online subscription-based movement called the Federal Postal Court, which had self-conferred legal powers, the trial heard.

Christopher, from Forest Gate, east London, was the chief judge, with Martin and Sean Harper his sheriffs and Shiza Harper a "postal inspector".

Mr Walker said they had a "significant following" online and described the group as an "anti-establishment protest, cult or conspiracy theory".

The defendants told the trial that Christopher, who sold online courses for thousands of pounds, was their "teacher" and they were his students – and that the allegations had been "blown way out of proportion".

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The incident followed Mr Brookes being sent a series of letters between March 2022 and April 2023, accusing him of being a "detrimental necromancer" who must face corporal punishment.

"I thought this was odd, to say the least," Mr Brookes said.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/9705612

A leading doctor who has urged people not to eat an entire Easter egg 'in one go' has been branded "silly" for his remarks. Dr Andrew Kelso, medical director of a large NHS services provider, said people should enjoy their treats this Easter but warned them "Don't over do it."

He urged people to 'resist the urge to eat a whole egg in one go.' He issued the advice as part of his role as medical director at the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board.

The former consultant neurologist said: “Many people don’t realise that an average Easter egg contains around three-quarters of an adult’s recommended daily calorie intake. At a time like this when we are seeing significant increases in cases of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well as tooth decay, I urge people to enjoy their Easter eggs in moderation and resist the urge to eat a whole egg in one go.

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He also warned that GP surgeries were closed over Easter weekend for those who may need help with their chocolate intake. Dr Kelso's remarks were met with criticism online by those who believed the comments were misguided and smacked of the 'nanny state.'

One posted on Facebook: "This doctor has obviously got to much time on his hands to be given such a silly interview. We all know that surgeries will be shut over Easter, they always have been.

"And we all know too much chocolate can lead to diabetes, being fat and tooth decay. Maybe if people could actually get into a doctors or dentist, there wouldn't be half so many problems."

Another said they were "sick of this country becoming a nanny state". The tradition of chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday, which is on March 31 this year, is from Christians exchanging eggs as a symbol of rebirth after Christ's resurrection.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/4314753

The cable will run from the 49.9MW Willows Green Solar Farm near Felsted will the built mainly under roads for 5.3km east of the proposed solar farm to Braintree Substation near Galleys Corner.

At full capacity, 50MW is enough to power ~60,000 homes! That's enough for nearly 10% of all of Essex. Glad these are getting connected even though there's plenty of North Sea oil and gas. UK! UK! UK!