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SITTING on the plane, Kirsty Maxwell was in high spirits. Surrounded by friends, the 27-year-old bank worker was on her way to Benidorm for a hen weekend.

Laughing and joking as they looked forward to spending time together in the Spanish party resort, the women were unaware that within hours, an unimaginable tragedy would strike.

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Kirsty Maxwell plummeted from the balcony of a room on the 10th floor[/caption]

Kirsty, herself a newlywed, would be found dead, her body lying by the pool of the Apartamentos Payma, where she was staying, after she plummeted from the balcony of a room on the 10th floor occupied by five British men.

At first, it was suspected Kirsty had been murdered, but following a Spanish police investigation, the case was shelved and her death was recorded as an accident.

Her grieving family, however, refuse to accept this.

“I know she didn’t jump,” says Kirsty’s aunt Angela Lees, 64. “She wouldn’t take her own life.

“There’s no way. That girl had everything to live for. She didn’t sleepwalk. She had a drink in her, but she wasn’t falling-about drunk.”

Now, the family’s eight-year fight to discover the truth is being told by a new podcast.

What Happened To Kirsty Maxwell? is written, narrated and produced by true crime podcaster Naomi Channell, who decided to make the series after meeting Kirsty’s family at a CrimeCon event in 2023, which they were attending to raise awareness of their campaign.

“They looked like they were broken,” Naomi remembers. “What struck me first about the case was how nothing made sense.

“I read through it all and thought, ‘How has this been allowed to fall through the cracks?’”

Kirsty, who was from Livingston, Scotland, was in the prime of her life when she boarded her flight to Benidorm. The previous September, she had married her long-term boyfriend Adam Maxwell.

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Kirsty and long-term boyfriend Adam had recently got married[/caption]

Blissfully happy, they were in the process of buying a new home, as well as planning to start a family.

After touching down in Benidorm on April 28, 2017, Kirsty and the rest of the hen party checked into their apartment building just after 9pm, then headed out for the night.

She returned, along with two friends, at 5.35am the next morning. Although she’d been drinking, CCTV footage shows she was clearly in control.

She went to bed and at 6.50am, a friend who was sharing a room with her on the ninth floor took a video of her snoring.

What happened next, however, remains shrouded in confusion.

Having been asleep in bed, Kirsty left her room and went up to the 10th floor, where some of the hens were staying.

Her family believes she went looking for their apartment, possibly in search of painkillers or contact lens solution, which she had forgotten.

For whatever reason, she ended up in room 10E, barefoot and without her phone – where there were five bodybuilders from Nottingham, part of a group of more than 50 people in Spain celebrating a birthday.

The men in the flat were Joseph Graham, then 32, a logistics manager with Amazon, who opened the door to Kirsty, Ricky Gammon, a 31-year-old cage fighter, Anthony Holehouse, 34, Callum Northridge, 29, and Daniel Bailey, 32.

Minutes after entering, Kirsty was dead, her body splayed on the concrete by the pool.

Soon after, the police phoned her husband Adam. Unable to understand what they were saying, he rang one of the hens, who told him the tragic news.

“It was devastating. It doesn’t sink in. She adored Adam, they had their future mapped out,” says Kirsty’s mum Denise Curry, 61.

As the family reeled in shock, in Spain the police suspected foul play, and the five men from Room 10E were questioned. One of them, Joseph Graham, was arrested.

In police interviews, the men said Kirsty walked into their apartment without speaking. She then apparently rushed into the bathroom and was “acting mad, drunk or both”.

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Joseph told police that she attempted to climb through a small bathroom window, which led to another area of the flat, before giving up and jumping over the Juliet balcony, plunging to her death below.

He allegedly screamed: “She’s jumped!” after she disappeared, and told police that he only spoke to her to ask her to leave.

Meanwhile, Kirsty’s mum, dad Brian, aunt Angela, Adam and his parents all booked flights to Spain. At that point they still had no idea what had happened, only that Kirsty was dead.

“Our priority was to get to Benidorm,” recalls Angela. “We got on the plane, and we were just numb. Nobody could speak.

We were left to become our own detectives

Kirsty's dad Brian

“It was a bank holiday weekend, and the plane was full of holiday-makers. When we arrived in Benidorm, people were singing and dancing, but we were in shock.

“Then we were told what had happened. We just couldn’t believe it. We were immediately suspicious that something untoward had gone on in that room.”

It was reported at the time by the family’s lawyer, Luis Miguel Zumaquero, that police had said Kirsty fell to her death in a “state of terror” and that she was allegedly fleeing a ”sexual attack that had begun to materialise”.

It was Judge Ana Isabel Garcia-Galbis’ job to decide if charges should be bought.

Joseph Graham was arrested at the time and taken to court before being released without charge. Within 48 hours, the other four men were also probed over her death before being allowed to return to the UK pending further investigations.

The men’s lawyer, Roberto Sanchez, said: “My clients have nothing to hide”, and Joseph released a statement saying: “I have been advised by my Spanish lawyer that, despite me not being charged with any wrongdoing, the investigation into this tragic accident is still ongoing.

“I am unable to say anything at this time, other than I am innocent of any wrongdoing.”

On May 1, Kirsty’s family travelled to a morgue in Spain to view her body. “Words can’t describe the pain,” says Angela.

To add to their heartache, Spanish newspapers published a photo of Kirsty’s body where she had fallen, which a bystander had taken. Angela says they were on autopilot, hardly sleeping or eating.

The family stayed in the town and used social media to try to find new witnesses, especially people who were staying in a holiday complex opposite the apartments and might have seen something.

On May 5, they brought Kirsty’s body home. Frustrated by the apparent lack of action, the family engaged another lawyer, Lorena Soler Bernabeu, who arranged for further forensic analysis and later attempted to recall the five men for questioning.

It was reported that a judge knocked back four separate requests from the family as they tried to seek answers.

Then, on July 28, four of the men broke their silence to deny any involvement in her death.

The four men who attended the hearing said: “This was a tragic accident and we categorically deny any involvement in this unfortunate incident,” The Nottingham Post reported.

“The opinion of the judge is that this was an accident.

“It goes without saying that our deepest sympathy goes out to Kirsty’s family and our thoughts are with them all at this terrible time.”

Deepened suspicions

The Spanish court declared the investigation complete and refused.

Naomi says: “The confusion and the men’s subsequent silence has only deepened suspicions.

“The men’s clothing was not collected and Spanish police later confirmed that Kirsty’s clothes had been destroyed, saying they had been ‘inspected visually’ and then incinerated because they were bloodstained.”

She adds: “The family even contacted the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, asking that any biological samples or forensic evidence be preserved.

“The Scottish First Minister backed the request. Sánchez never replied.”

Back in the UK, the family explored every legal avenue and set up online information appeals.

“We were left to become our own detectives,” says Brian, 66. “We spent months going through emails, pushing for meetings, hiring our own forensic experts. We had no choice.”

Andy Barr

Spanish police maintained the death was accidental. The lead investigator, César García, later stated that “no sufficient evidence” pointed to criminal involvement.

In 2018, a biomechanics expert reviewed the case on behalf of the family, and stated that the way Kirsty’s garments were positioned was inconsistent with a fall.

Her tight denim skirt and top had ridden up.

The following year, after repeated requests, Kirsty’s family was told some potential witnesses could be questioned via video link at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court.

But when the day arrived, technical problems meant a link could not be established and instead a court official took statements from the witnesses using a list of questions.

“It was a total farce,” says Brian.

In September 2019, the Spanish courts decided to shelve a criminal probe.

The family appealed, and in July 2020, three Spanish judges in Alicante ruled that there was no “strong evidence” of criminality surrounding the death.

In a statement, they said: “Kirsty, affected by alcohol and after consuming the equivalent of 10 spirits the night before, appears to have left her apartment 9A and voluntarily entered 10E where the five men were.

“Nothing points to the contrary.

There’s been such a limited amount of detail that’s come from those five men

Naomi

“Although it is true cocaine was found in the bathroom of apartment 10E and the dead woman’s fingerprints were discovered on an interior bathroom window, it has not been possible to obtain strong evidence of specific and individualised criminality in terms of the victim’s death in any of the five men investigated.”

However, the What Happened To Kirsty Maxwell? podcast questions some discrepancies in the statements the men gave at the time.

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No toxicology reports for the men exist[/caption]

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The podcast reveals some discrepancies in the statements the men gave at the time[/caption]

Naomi explains: “One said he was asleep. Another said he didn’t notice Kirsty entering. There was confusion over whether she walked in uninvited or whether she was brought in by one of the men.”

There is also a suggestion that there may have been another woman with one of the men at some point during the evening. Police also found erection-enhancing pills.

Furthermore, police statements seen by The Sun state that Joseph’s nose was bleeding and that he admitted he had been snorting narcotics.

No toxicology reports for the men exist. It isn’t disputed that the men had been drinking, and this could explain some of the discrepancies in their stories.

Naomi says: “They always exercised their right to say ‘no comment’ outside of pre-agreed questions from their lawyer.

“It’s frustrating, because they have the right to say no comment, but for Kirsty’s family, there’s so little information.

“There’s been such a limited amount of detail that’s come from those five men.

“It’s almost like Kirsty drifts into a room, nobody says anything to her, approaches her or does anything. . . and then she jumps off the balcony.”

The podcast host adds: “Denise and Brian have been so dignified. They have always gone through official channels.

“They have never messaged the men on social media, they just want answers.”

Meanwhile, the family remains in legal limbo. “It’s frustrating,” says Brian. “The authorities have ended their investigation.

“They’ve asked us to present more evidence before they’ll look at it again, but every time we suggest something, they don’t agree.”

The family hopes raising awareness might encourage new witnesses to come forward and help others in similar situations.

“The campaign for answers has consumed our life,” says Brian. “In the process, a lot of people have approached us with similar stories and we’ve been able to give them help and advice.”

On each anniversary of their daughter’s death, Brian says he and his wife “quietly do our own thing”, visiting their daughter’s favourite places, like the riverbank where she walked her dog, and remembering the happy, vibrant woman she was.

“Kirsty would light up a room with her smile and her laugh,” says Angela. “She was such a loving, caring person.

“We just want someone to tell the truth. Kirsty walked into that room by mistake, but she didn’t walk out. We owe it to her. We won’t stop. Kirsty is not here, so we must be here for her.”

DONNA VEKIC walks alongside Croatian greats Luka Modric and Josko Gvardiol in her homeland.

Having reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and earned an Olympic silver medal last summer, the 29-year-old achieved hero status in the Balkan country.

Instagram / @donnavekic

Donna Vekic posed for a picture with Croatian legend Luka Modric in April[/caption]

Mackage

Vekic, 29, followed Josko Gvardiol in working with Mackage[/caption]

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Vekic is hoping to go even further at Wimbledon this year[/caption]

Vekic rubbed shoulders with Modric at the Laureus Awards back in April, while she has since joined Gvardiol in becoming an ambassador for luxurious fashion brand Mackage.

Hot on the heels of becoming the latest of her country’s sporting icons, the 5ft 10in star enthusiastically told SunSport of Modric: “He’s the biggest hero in Croatia.

“Everywhere around the world when they ask me where I’m from, I say ‘Croatia’ and they say ‘ah, Modric’. Luka Modric is a great guy, Gvardiol is also amazing, playing for Man City. 

“He was the one before me, now it’s me and it’s great company to be in.”

On the court, last summer was bittersweet for Vekic, having suffered the most heartbreaking defeat of her career following a blistering run to the Wimbledon semis.

In arguably the most memorable match of last year’s tournament, the likeable star broke down in tears during the closing stages of her 2-6 6-4 7-6 defeat to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

The loss made Vekic want to quit tennis for a while… but just weeks later she had brushed it off to win Olympic silver.

On the quick turnaround, Vekic said: “I was lucky that the Olympics was so close to Wimbledon because if they weren’t then I think I would have been done for a while. It was really heartbreaking.

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“I went back to Croatia and tried to forget about it but everywhere I went people had been watching and would be like ‘bad luck, bad luck’ – but then the next question was ‘how you doing for the Olympics?’ and I was like ‘Oh my God, really?’

“I didn’t want to go – I was ill, I was injured, it was tough. But then when I got to Paris, the energy of the village, of other athletes from other sports really brought me up.”

Now back in SW19 – 12 months on from her heartache – Vekic now believes that she can walk with the swagger of a tournament favourite.

“Coming on grass, no one will like to see me in the draw,” Vekic confidently told SunSport.

“Women’s tennis is at such a high level now, everyone is playing such good tennis so really everyone has a chance to beat everyone and you have to be 100 per cent every match.”

Vekic opens her Wimbledon campaign against Australia’s Kimberly Birrell, and is a potential third round opponent for British No2 Katie Boulter.

Following her run in 2024, however, Vekic has her eyes on a far greater prize.

“Things came together last year, hopefully they will again this year and maybe I can go a little bit further,” she confidently claimed.

When SunSport pointed out that any further would mean reaching the final, Vekic didn’t shy away from her ambition, adding: “There’s not much further, once you get so close to it you feel, you see that you are there, and that you can go for the title.

“I don’t see why not.”

Sunday Times

The 29-year-old lost a heartbreaker to Jasmine Paolini in last year’s semi-finals[/caption]

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Vekic remains a fan favourite wherever she goes[/caption]

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The Croatian has been practising on the lawns on SW19[/caption]

Cardi B announced her second album, set to release on 19 September 2025, marking her first full-length project in seven years.

MANILA, Philippines — Additional 82 branches of Mercury Drug stores nationwide will accept guarantee letters (GL) for medical assistance issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations and Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita program starting June 30, 2025. In an advisory on Sunday, the DSWD

A DRIVER is calling on cyclists to exercise more caution when riding with their children.

The anonymous man shared footage of a near-miss he had while out on the roads in Brighton on the morning of June 20, The Argus reported.

Argus/Sussex News and Pictures

The driver spots the cycling with her two children approach the junction[/caption]

Argus/Sussex News and Pictures

The mother then pulls out in front of the car[/caption]

The anonymous man was driving his son to school along Davigdor Road near Seven Dials.

As the driver approached the junction, he spotted a mother on her bike with her two children in tow.

But rather than wait for the car to pass, she instead pulls out in front of the car, narrowly avoiding a collision.

The man was forced to slam on his breaks to avoiding causing serious injury.

He told The Argus: “It was incredibly dangerous.

“If you’re going to take your own life into your hands, don’t include your children in that.”

The 52-year-old company director posted video of the incident online in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of cycling with children.

He claims the woman did not look left at all when reaching the junction.

The man estimated that he was doing around 25-30mph – easily enough to kill should a collision occur.

According to road safety charity Brake, a pedestrian hit at 30mph has a one in five chance of being killed – although that figure is likely to be much higher if they are a child.

Even a child hit at 18mph experiences the same level as impact as a child falling from an upstairs window.

The driver said he was accustomed to slow down at that junction but was forced to brake hard to avoid a collision.

He said: “Whoever this lady is, she needs to have a think about what’s happening there, I think she should understand the road.”

He did, however, commend the mum for having helmets for her children.

But viewers of the video blamed the driver for not being more aware – with some saying he should have been driving even slower.

One wrote: “You could argue that there should have been even more time to react to the hazard developing ahead.

“Perhaps the mother had judged it was safe to do what she did, on the assumption the car wasn’t speeding?”

Another wrote: “Both are not very wise. The driver should have gone slower – but the woman had two kids on the back and cycling straight into the busy road.”

And far from being a cycle-hater, the driver has been a cyclist himself for the last 20 years.

He says parents should follow ‘basic road safety’ when out with their children – and shouldn’t cycle if they don’t know the rules.

ENZO MARESCA slammed the decision to suspend Chelsea’s clash with Benfica for TWO HOURS as “a joke”.

Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners in the last 16 tie but Maresca was far from happy with the US being the hosts of the Club World Cup.

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Enzo Maresca was less than impressed with Chelsea’s delay against Benfica[/caption]

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The Blues beat Benfica but only after the game needed five hours to finish[/caption]

The match took almost five hours to complete after the teams were forced inside, with the Blues 1-0 up with four minutes remaining thanks to Reece James‘ free-kick, due to “the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium”.

On the resumption, Angel Di Maria equalised with a controversial stoppage-time penalty to take the game to extra time, only for Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to seal Chelsea’s win.

Maresca, in his press conference, said of the long delay: “I think it’s a joke, to be honest.

“It’s not football, it’s completely something new, I struggle to understand.

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“I can understand if it’s security reasons but if you suspend seven or eight games then it’s probably not the right place to do the competition.

“It’s not normal to suspend the game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero probably. In Europe how many games get suspended? Zero.

“We’ve been here two weeks and they’ve already suspended six or seven games, there is some problems for me personally.

“I’m talking as a manager because when you’re two hours inside and you have to try to keep them (the players) in the game, they’re speaking to their families outside for safety reasons, they’re eating, they’re playing, they’re laughing, how can you keep them inside focused for two hours? It’s a joke.”

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One of Maresca’s players at least was able to make light of the delay, which saw the game finish at 1.40am UK time, with defender Trevoh Chalobah posting on social media: “Game started Saturday and ended Sunday”.

Players were pictured riding exercise bikes and kicking balls in the dressing room during the enforced break.

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Trevoh Chalobah saw thr funny side of the lenghty delay[/caption]

Maresca told DAZN: “Especially when it’s 85 minutes, five minutes to go, it’s very difficult.

“But we tried to keep them in the best way we could in that moment and, at the end, we are in the last eight teams here in this competition and we are very happy.”

Gianluca Prestianni saw red for Bruno Lage’s men in extra time for a second yellow card as Chelsea booked their place against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals.

The Blues could now come up against Palmeiras’ Stamford Bridge-bound Estevao Willian, whose side defeated fellow Brazilian club Botafogo on Saturday.

AT LEAST 40 people have died after two buses crashed into each other before bursting into flames.

Dozens of terrified passengers were trapped inside the flaming vehicles on a highway as they battled to escape the two wreckages.

The Citizen

Two buses were involved in a deadly crash in Tanzania[/caption]

The Citizen

People surrounded the burnt out buses as they rescued dozens from the wreckage[/caption]

Another 30 people were injured with many being rushed to hospital for treatment.

Those on one of the large coaches were heading to a wedding ceremony, according to local media.

The collision happened on Saturday evening in the Sabasaba area along the MoshiTanga highway in the Kilimanjaro region.

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan said: “I send my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, relatives, and friends.

“May God grant peace to the souls of the departed and a quick recovery to the injured.

“May He comfort and strengthen their families during this difficult time.”

LIONEL MESSI has been sent a brutal warning by the French press ahead of his reunion with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Inter Miami star will face off against his old side in the Club World Cup TODAY in the last 16 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Reuters

Messi will face his old side in the Club World Cup[/caption]

Messi, 38, left PSG in 2023 on a free transfer once his contract in the French capital expired.

During his time with the club, he formed one-third of the exciting attacking trio alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

However, he was not a fan favourite in France, as PSG failed to secure the Champions League trophy despite having a prolific front three.

He caused further upset in the country as he played a crucial role in France‘s World Cup heartbreak in 2022.

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The attacker netted twice in the penalty shootout as Argentina beat them in the final in Qatar.

It is clear that time has not softened the views towards the former Barcelona star.

French newspaper L’Equipe plastered a picture of Messi on the front page with the tagline: “Messi… not all is forgiven.”

Fans have reacted to the front page on social media.

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One posted: “The insecurity is wild.”

A second wrote: “I feel that Messi will go all out vs PSG.”

A third commented: “Surely that will only motivate him further.”

A fourth said: “That World Cup final really left a scar.”

Another added: “You won the Champions League, it’s time to move on.”

PSG have, in fact, moved on from Messi and Co. and built an exciting young team that won the Champions League.

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Messi left French giants PSG in 2023[/caption]

Reuters

He also beat France in the final of the World Cup in 2022[/caption]

The likes of Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the final back in May.

Inter Miami reached the knockout stages of the Club World Cup by finishing second in Group A.

Their best moment came as they beat Portuguese giants Porto 2-1 with Messi scoring a match-winning free kick.

PSG, on the other hand, beat Atletico Madrid and the Seattle Sounders in Group B.

Although they were beaten 1-0 by Brazilian outfit Botafogo.

The winners between Inter Miami and PSG will face either Bayern Munich or Flamengo in the quarterfinals.

Speaking ahead of the match, Miami boss Javier Mascherano has insisted his side are the underdogs.

He said: “On paper, respectfully – I think we’re the underdog, but that doesn’t mean we’re already out.

“Reaching this stage was difficult, and the team has earned it.

“We’re up against one of the world’s best, and hopefully, we’ll get our chance to advance.

Mascherano will have a reunion of his own as he will come up against former manager Luis Enrique – who he played for at Barcelona.

“Luis [Enrique] is one of the most influential coaches I’ve ever had.

“We share a personal connection, and I hold him in high regard.

“He convinced me to join Barcelona, and he’s consistently proven himself across different clubs. It will be special to see him again