Kaizer Chiefs have some good news and some bad news. The latter could provide some in-house drama ahead of next season

During his prime, Percy Tau was playing at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Uefa Champions League.

STANDING alone in the dark an 11-year-old Josie Clark had no idea how she was going to get back to her care home.

She didn’t even know where she was having been abandoned in the middle of nowhere by a group of men because she had refused to have sex with them.

Claire Wood

Supplied

Lancs Police

Two of her abusers were jailed for five years and eight months, with a judge condemning Zulfar Hussain, 46, (pictured)[/caption]

Handout pic - refer to Picture Desk

Qaiser Naveed, 32, was jailed for “exploiting” vulnerable children[/caption]

And when she eventually did make her way back to the children’s home in Blackburn, she would find her door locked as a punishment.

While the men had put her in a dangerous situation Josie, now 33, continued to hang out with them as they finally gave her the attention she was so starved of.

But as Josie later found out, they were not her friends but a paedophile ring who groomed and sexually abused her from the age of 11 in exchange for alcohol, drugs and gifts.

She admits feeling like a ‘child prostitute’ and feeling so brainwashed that even after some gang members were convicted, she continued to feel a loyalty towards them.

And so hearing the news that the government will hold a national inquiry into the grooming scandal, Josie Clark feels a wave of relief.

Josie says: “The inquiry should have been ordered many years ago. There are children being groomed and abused today, just like I was, and this decision is long overdue.

“I have done my best to move on with my life but it’s impossible. 

“I am mistrustful of everyone; I can’t share my life, or my home, with other adults. I have trauma and anxiety. I don’t sleep properly. 

“For many years, I blamed myself. I thought I was a child prostitute; I thought I had made the wrong decisions.

“Aged 11, I was plied with drugs and booze and I was raped and sexually assaulted on a daily basis, sometimes by several men. And yet I was brainwashed into thinking they loved me.”

Josie’s turning point came aged 29, when she underwent therapy and adopted her pet dogs. She credits them with saving her life but says the damage and the stigma from grooming will haunt her forever.

“It took me until I was 29 to understand exactly what happened,” she says. 

“I got my first dog, and the love I have from him is just incredible.

“I look forward to seeing how a national inquiry deals with the social workers, the police officers and the other agencies who so far have not been held to account. 

“The system needs to change so that children are supported and this is the first step.”

Josie was taken into care as a small child at the age of four. Aged six, she found herself in a children’s home with teenagers, and she was sexually assaulted by another resident.

She says: “During these years, I was bouncing back and forth between different foster homes, children’s homes and my family home. 

It wasn’t always the same men, and sometimes, we’d get out of one car and straight into another.

Josie Clark

“I had no stability and no love.”

Aged 11, living in a children’s home, she fell into the clutches of a grooming gang.

She says: “I went out with my friend one night and she introduced me to them. 

“We got into a car, the men drove us round, gave us cannabis, and then dropped us off again. It became a pattern, every night, and we skipped school to see them.

Supplied by Josie Clarke

Claire Wood

With the help of therapy, Josie is learning to deal with her trauma[/caption]

Supplied

She says that her dogs have really helped her on her journey to recovery[/caption]

“They bought us food and items of clothing and gave us Jack Daniels, cocaine and ecstasy.”

‘Aged 11, I was raped’

But the men quickly demanded something in return, and Josie lost count of the times she was sexually assaulted.

She says: “It wasn’t always the same men, and sometimes, we’d get out of one car and straight into another. 

“Sometimes, I was so drugged up I hardly knew what I was doing. They’d take us to dingy flats and houses, sometimes overnight.

“Aged 11, I was raped by a man who told me he loved me, and he was going to marry me. I was so confused and troubled that I scratched his initial onto my arm.

“I hated the sexual assaults, but I had become dependent on the men. I owed them, and by now I was addicted to drugs and cigarettes.”

Josie says that if she refused their advances then the consequences were dire. 

“If I refused to have sex, I’d get a smack,” she says.

“Once, they drove to a remote village and just left us there in the dead of night. They had a knife which they waved about. I was wary of them.

“And yet, I had a loyalty to them. They were the only people who showed me any care or love – that was how I saw it, as a child.

“The children’s home staff seemed keen to punish me, but not as keen to find out why I kept going missing or where I was. 

“Their punishment was either to stop my pocket money, or lock me out of my bedroom, which just pushed me back to my abusers.”

‘I thought it was my fault’

Aged 15, Josie and another friend were victims of a serious physical assault, when two of the men attacked them with an iron bar. Shaken, they went to the police.

Josie says: “Even then, I was conflicted. 

“I didn’t want to get the men into trouble. I reported the physical assault, but I honestly didn’t think sexual assaults were criminal. I thought they were my fault.”

In August 2007, two of her abusers were jailed for five years and eight months, with a judge condemning Zulfar Hussain, 46, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, for “exploiting” vulnerable children.

Hussain admitted abducting a child, sexual activity with the same child and supplying the youngster with ecstasy. Naveed pleaded guilty to the same offences.

Following Josie’s report, Operation Engage was launched, and it became the first major investigation into child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs.

Josie says: “Even after the trial, I continued to blame myself and it ruined all my relationships going forwards. 

“When the sexual abuse ended, it felt like a break-up. I went from one type of trauma to another. I felt so angry all the time and my mind was constantly on the go.

“From my social services records I discovered I’d been sexually abused as a child. On the second occasion it took three days for the offence to be logged and that really breaks my heart. 

“It feels like nobody cared about me at all.”

Aged 29, Josie began therapy and was found to be suffering with severe trauma.

She says: “The therapy really helped, and I started to understand myself. I have my dogs, Bestie and Kyra and they are a big comfort to me.

My message to other survivors is not to keep quiet – you should shout it from the rooftops

Josie Clark

“My message to other survivors is not to keep quiet – you should shout it from the rooftops. This is nothing to be ashamed of and it’s only by speaking out that we will be able to expose the abusers.

“I’d appeal to anyone who is being groomed or abused to please speak out and get help. Your voice is your most powerful weapon. 

“I hope the inquiry exposes not only the abusers but the agencies who have failed the children along the way.”

It comes as devastating report found that grooming gang victims were failed by cops and public officials more bothered about dodging claims of racism.

Baroness Louise Casey found perpetrators got away with it because of fears about inflaming community tensions.

Josie took legal action against Blackburn with Darwen council, claiming they failed her as a child. She accepted an out of court settlement and the council did not admit liability in relation to her claim.

Councillor Julie Gunn, executive member for children, young people and education at Blackburn with Darwen Council said after the case: “It’s always brave to speak out about abuse.

“This is a historical case and it’s important to acknowledge the long-term impact of abuse. There are strict legal rules around sharing information about individual cases however we can speak direct to people involved and this will happen.

“Safeguarding is taken very seriously, and we have prioritised tackling child sexual exploitation to protect young people at risk of harm. 

“Tough action is taken to deal with offenders and lots of support is available for those who are vulnerable or have been affected.”

Supplied

She wants to encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to seek help immediately[/caption]

Alamy

HUNDREDS of people have gathered outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London in support of a member of Kneecap who is appearing on a terror charge.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, is accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig in London last year.

AFP via Getty Images

Jordan Peck/Getty Image

The 27-year-old, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged last month under the Terrorism Act.

The act states that it is a criminal offence to display an article in a way which arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.

Fans of the Irish rap group this morning stood outside the court in support of O hAnnaidh.

Some held placards demanding “Free Mo Chara” whilst other signs read “Defend Kneecap”.

Large green flags saying “Free Speech, Free Palestine” were also on display alongside placards saying “Liam’s too pretty for prison”.

Kneecap said it had “plastered” London with messages of support for its band member.

The band described the prosecution as a “witch hunt” in a post on X on Tuesday evening.

The post included a short video which appeared to show a billboard that had been displayed in London with the words “more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara”.

EPA/TOLGA AKMEN

REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe

PUTTING a paddling pool up over the summer is all fun and games until people are complaining that the water is too cold.

Thankfully there is an easy hack to get your pool full of warm water in minutes. 

Tiktok/@healthandlovingmyself

A woman shared how to heat up a paddling pool using hot water from your indoor tap – and all you need is a watering can[/caption]

Tiktok/@healthandlovingmyself

Get water going straight from your hot tap into your pool in seconds[/caption]

While many people rely on an outdoor tap with cold water to add the water, you should go directly from the warm tap inside.

If your hose doesn’t attach to your inside tap, a mum shared how she gets around this issue.

TikTok user @healthandlovingmyself shared how you simply need to fill up a watering can with warm water, and put the hose inside the nozzle.

The water will then travel down the pipe and fill up your pool with the hot water.

The best part of the hack is you don’t need to spend hours lugging buckets of warm water outside – and don’t need to constantly refill the kettle.

Many people were very impressed with the hack and wondered why they hadn’t thought of it before.

One person wrote: “I was 40 years old.. Thnx.”

Another added: “Smart.”

However, one user commented: “The water bill.”

And a second said: “More fun when its cold.”

BIN BAG HACK

We previously shared how a woman has come up with the ultimate hack to heating up the water in her chilly paddling pool – and it just requires a bin bag. 

She told Tyla how she was fed up of going back and forth with kettles to keep the water warm outside. 

Lainey Thomson decided to instead place a bin bag on the top to attract the heat from the sun. 

Lainey Thomson

Lainey Thomson showed how she uses bin bags to heat up her cold paddling pool[/caption]

She revealed: “I did this because I only have a cold outside tap and I was using buckets and the kettle to warm up the pool.

“By putting black bin bags on top it attracts the sun and it warms it up very quickly. Within about 45 minutes the water is warm and stays warm all day in the sun.”

The idea was first floated on the Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It Facebook group, when one woman asked for advice to heat her 8ft freezing cold paddling pool.

One person advised: “Fill with cold from outside tap then cover with black bin bags. Leave for an hour!”

“The sun is drawn to the black bags and heats it up. Works a treat every time,” one person commented.

Getty

The hack could be great for people who hate cold water[/caption]

Thailand’s leading duty-free giant King Power is in talks with Airports of Thailand (AOT) to renegotiate its contracts across five major airports, after claiming external factors severely impacted business performance. The duty-free giant, known for its extensive presence in airports across the country, raised concerns about an increasingly challenging market and the financial burden of maintaining its original commitments. …

The story King Power seeks duty-free contract renegotiation after setbacks as seen on Thaiger News.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday urged beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to ensure their children are enrolled and attending school regularly to remain eligible for cash assistance. The DSWD made the reminder following the start of School Year 2025 to 2026.  READ: Problems of

A TOP Dyson designer has revealed exactly how fast to move your vacuum cleaner – and going slower can actually save you time.

It turns out that racing around your house isn’t necessarily the best way to get the cleaning out of the way quickly.

Dyson

You may have been vacuuming wrong your entire life[/caption]

Getty

You’ll want to visualise one of these during your next vacuum cleaning session[/caption]

Sean Keach

The Sun’s tech editor Sean Keach took a trip to Dyson’s Oxfordshire HQ[/caption]

Vacuuming an entire house can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you’ve got loads of furniture, carpets, and a dog or cat.

So going fast can be tempting now that vacuum cleaners are often wireless and lightweight – just look at Dyson’s impossibly thin new PencilVac.

SPEED TEST

I took a trip to Dyson’s Oxfordshire campus where I heard from Dyson designer Jonny Gray, who revealed the exact speed you’ll want to be moving your vacuum cleaner.

“To be exact, about 0.3 metres a second is probably where you want to be in terms of speed,” Jonny explained.

That’s a 30cm ruler, so if you imagine moving across one of those every second, you’re getting it right.

“I’m sorry to say that the slower you go, the cleaner your floors will be,” Jonny said.

Of course, he warned that you can also end up going too slow.

The Dyson design whiz said you’ll get “diminishing returns the more you go over it”.

So it’s important to not go too slow or fast – and stick to the 30cm rule.

“The IEC standards that we get are 0.5 metres a second,” Jonny, Senior Design Manager at Dyson, told us.

“But we have demonstrated that you get around 100% pick-up over the course of three passes with 0.3 metres a second speed.”

If you rush around, your vacuum cleaner will end up missing bits.

And if you go too slow, you’re simply wasting time – and it won’t be worth the wait.

FOOD FOR FLOORS

Jonny, who works on vacuum cleaners at Dyson’s gigantic Malmesbury campus, spends time trying to pick up all manner of difficult debris.

Sean Keach

Dyson’s senior design manager Jonathan Gray revealed the secret to vacuuming[/caption]

Sean Keach

The Sun was given a peek inside Dyson’s debris cupboard, filled with commonly spilled items[/caption]

And he also told The Sun that Cheerios are one of the trickiest things for a vacuum cleaner to collect due to their size.

But he warned that US-style Froot Loops are even trickier to collect.

Dog biscuits are also difficult for vacuum cleaners to pick up, Jonny revealed.

But the brainy Dyson designer explained that if you follow the 30cm rule, you should be able to get a “100% pick-up” rate – even during a nightmare Cheerio spillage.

Dyson’s Lab includes a cupboard filled with different materials for testing with its vacuum cleaners.

That includes porridge oats, British and even American rice, sugar, cotton wool, and cat litter.

And they even have Japanese sushi rice and tea leaves, to make sure that the vacuum cleaners they flog to Japan are up to snuff.

Read iconic British inventor Sir James Dyson’s exclusive comment piece for The Sun here.

Sean Keach

How many of these items have you spilled at home?[/caption]

Football fans in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, rejoice! The rights to broadcast the Premier League and FA Cup have officially changed hands, with Jasmine International Public Company Limited (JAS) securing the exclusive deal for up to six seasons. Yes, you heard that right — the same JAS behind the popular streaming service MONOMAX. While you might not be familiar with the name …

The story JAS secures Premier League and FA Cup rights for Thailand as seen on Thaiger News.

Kaizer Chiefs had been made aware of the dangers of signing one of arguably Bafana's best players in history. What do you think?