News 1

A PROLIFIC conman who scammed a string of women including a Love Island contestant and Thierry Henry’s ex-wife is back behind bars after being caught in the USA.

Medi Abalimba, 35, became known as “The Football Fraudster” after targeting high-profile victims while posing as a Premier League player.

SWNS

Medi Abalimba, 35, is back behind bars after being caught in the USA[/caption]

Goff - check copyright holder

Thierry Henry’s ex-wife Claire was one of his victims[/caption]

The former Liverpool and Man City trialist swindled thousands by tricking women so he could fund a champagne lifestyle of luxury hotels, helicopter trips and travelling the globe.

He became a worldwide name last year after a Netflix documentary in which the Arsenal striker’s former wife Claire Merry and ITV reality show star Georgia Steel revealed how they had been duped.

Abalimba was convicted of a string of fraud offences and was jailed for four years and two months following his most recent conviction in early 2023.

However he breached the conditions of his licence by fleeing the UK sparking an international manhunt.

Derbyshire Constabulary worked alongside forces around the world including Homeland Security in the USA in a bid to track down the fraudster.

PC Sarah Baker, who works in the force’s International Liaison Office, discovered he had changed his name to Michi Jordan and was travelling on a new passport.

Abalimba, previously of Derby, was arrested in the USA and extradited back to Britain on January 28.

He was detained by UK police the following day and recalled to prison where he will now remain until October 2026.

PC Baker said: “Given his extensive offending there was a real concern that, armed with a new name, he could begin targeting new victims.

“However, the USA takes seriously foreign nationals who have not declared their criminal convictions, and he was quickly located and arrested by US authorities.

“Abalimba lives a life filled with deception and even after serving prison sentences, his fraudulent activities have continued.

“It has been a lengthy process to track him down and ensure he is brought back to the UK but I am pleased that we have now managed to achieve this thanks to work with a number of international law enforcement agencies.

“I’m grateful to all those who have helped with tracking him down and ensuring that he is once again behind bars and cannot cause further misery to unsuspecting victims.”

Abalimba was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to the UK at the age of five.

The promising footballer joined Derby County and also played for clubs including Crystal Palace, Fulham, Oldham Athletic and Southend United.

He also had trials at Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

When his career started to decline in 2012, he worked part-time at a taxi firm but began pretending to be Chelsea player Gael Kakuta.

Abalimba was first convicted for fraud related offences in 2013, which saw him serve six months in prison for his crimes.

He had begun a relationship with Claire Merry, the ex-wife of Thierry Henry, when he was arrested again in 2019.

He had also previously been in a relationship with Love Island star Georgia Steel after meeting her in a Mayfair nightclub.

Abalimba stole from both women – defrauding Steel of £13,000 and Merry out of more than £50,000.

He was then jailed again in 2021 for 15 counts of fraud after he plundered the bank accounts of model Chloe Henry claiming to be a US Navy Seal in a £160,000 scam.

At the time the Netflix documentary “The Footballer Fraudster” first aired in July last year his whereabouts had remained unknown.

Rex

Action Images - Reuters

He impersonated former Chelsea star Gael Kakuta[/caption]

GMP

Law enforcement caught up with Abalimba in 2013[/caption]

ITVX

YOU may see new NHS adverts urging you to attend your breast- cancer screening.

It’s the first time the NHS has done such a campaign.

Olivia West

Dr Zoe Williams helps Sun readers with their health concerns[/caption]

Breast cancer screening has reached 70 per cent uptake for the first time in five years, which is great news.

But there is always room for improvement – had 80 per cent been met, an estimated 2,029 additional breast cancers would have been found, says the charity Breast Cancer Now.

It appears those invited for the first time are among the least likely to attend.

Women are automatically invited for breast screening between the ages of 50 and 53, and then every three years until the age of 71.

So look out for your invitation and make sure you attend, because it could be the difference between getting an early diagnosis – when you are more treatable – and not.

Here’s a selection of what readers have asked me this week . . . 

Why have I got that shrinking feeling?

Getty

This reader is concerned by their shrinking stature – along with other aches and pains[/caption]

Q) MY height has reduced significantly, by up to three inches.

I used to be able to close the window but now I need a stool.

My body easily aches and I suffer pains, but I’m only 60. It makes me worry about the future of my health.

A) A small amount of height loss is normal past the age of 40.

But it’s only expected that people lose about half an inch every ten years before acceleration after age 70.

Weaker muscles can affect posture, while the flattening of foot arches and loss of cartilage can also mean we become shorter. But loss of bone is an important cause of height loss that must be addressed.

I’m talking about osteoporosis, which would be the most likely reason a woman of your age could be losing significant height.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes them to become fragile.

It develops slowly over time and there may not be any symptoms until a bone breaks, for example the hip or wrist when falling.

But as well as this, osteoporosis can cause the spinal bones (vertebrae) to collapse on themselves, a bit like a cardboard box with too much weight put on it, and this causes loss of height.

It tends to also be associated with developing a hunched-over appearance of the upper spine – and it can cause pain, but not always.

If you think this might be your problem, it’s important to be assessed for osteoporosis because it can be treated to prevent the spine from shortening any further and to protect you from other fractures.

Menopause is a major cause of osteoporosis.

A healthy diet and muscle-strengthening exercises can go some way towards protecting us from osteoporosis.

---

Getty

Another reader is concerned about a long wait for tests after ongoing stomach pain and nausea[/caption]

Q) FOR years, I have been on lansoprazole for acid reflux.

About 18 months ago, I developed different symptoms – gnawing pain in the upper abdomen, feeling sick and tightness under the breasts.

 I felt better when I ate for a short time. Famotidine helped, but only for a few months. It is starting to really get me down.

 As I had no “red flag” symptoms, I was refused an endoscopy. The GP referred me again.

I’m waiting on a Cytosponge, but it will be about six months.

A) Upper abdominal pain that is alleviated by eating is most commonly associated with a peptic ulcer, which can either be in the stomach or the first part of the small intestine (duodenum).

When food enters the stomach, it can temporarily neutralise the stomach acid, and this is why there can be a short-lived improvement of symptoms in some people.

In others, eating aggravates the pain and they experience their worst symptoms in the few hours that follow.

Your description of “gnawing pain” and nausea would also fit, and the fact that famotidine (which reduces acid in the stomach) improved things for a while would also support this diagnosis.

A common cause is H. pylori infection – have you been tested by your GP? The other common cause is using medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin and SSRI antidepressants.

Smoking, alcohol consumption and stress may also contribute to the development of peptic ulcer disease.

NICE guidelines state that endoscopy is not required unless there are certain warning signs, such as evidence of bleeding or a mass.

The guidelines are different for adults over 55. A referral should be made here if there is weight loss, anaemia, high platelets or symptoms do not respond to treatment.

The Cytosponge primarily samples cells from the oesophagus.

It does test for peptic ulcers as well as a condition called Barrett’s oesophagus, caused by reflux.

It’s a good idea to have a blood test to check full blood count and rule out liver or pancreas disease, and consider trying a PPI medication to reduce stomach acid production.

---

Tip of the week

IF you are feeling stressed, perhaps watching television in the evening isn’t the best way for you to unwind.

 Try reading a relaxing book or magazine in a quiet place or indulging in a scented, candle-lit bath.

Taking an evening yoga class might also help to improve your mood.

---

Melatonin may be key

NIGHT shift workers can reduce their cancer risk by taking melatonin, scientists say.

The sleep hormone occurs naturally to help the body prepare for sleep.

But previous research has shown that its night-time production is suppressed in people who work night shifts, which may have health implications.

The Canadian study involved 40 workers who had been doing night shifts for at least six months.

Half were given a 3mg melatonin pill to take daily before their daytime sleep, while the other half took a placebo.

Urine samples were collected to measure levels of 8-OHdG, a marker of DNA repair capacity, before and after the four-week trial.

The results, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, showed that those taking melatonin saw an 80 per cent increase in 8-OHdG levels during daytime sleep, indicating better DNA repair.

However, there was no significant difference in DNA repair during their subsequent night shifts.

Melatonin plays a key role in repairing oxidative DNA damage – without proper repair, this damage can increase the risk of certain cancers.

Study author Dr Parveen Bhatti said: “Our randomised placebo-controlled trial suggested melatonin supplementation may improve oxidative DNA damage repair capacity among night shift workers.”

Beyond the support of his enthusiastic Nassau County constituents, Bruce Blakeman said he's got a powerful friend in Washington backing him for four more years.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday brushed off Rep. Ritchie Torres’ early-bird backing of Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race – making a veiled jab at the sexual harassment scandal that toppled the former governor.

Lester Holt is leaving his role as the host of NBC Nightly News after a decade behind the news desk. “A smile comes to my face when I think that with Nightly News, and Dateline, I have now anchored two of the most successful and iconic television news programs in broadcast history,” Holt, 65, wrote […]

The White Lotus included a shocking cameo for the second straight week on Sunday, February 23 — but this time, the Oscar-winning guest star didn’t actually appear on camera. The latest episode, “Special Treatments,” featured Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan making an uncredited vocal cameo as Timothy Ratliff’s (Jason Isaacs) embattled business partner Kenneth […]

The parents of late golfer Grayson Murray reflected on their son’s enduring legacy and the final days of his life.  Eric and Terry Murray spoke to Today about the death of Grayson, who died by suicide at age 30 in May 2024.  “It’s a nightmare, and it doesn’t stop,” Eric told Today’s Carson Daly in […]

If Europe’s leaders dare learn the tough lesson Trump is teaching, they will restore national cohesion — which prosperity alone is never enough to sustain.

"I am beyond men."

The White House press office celebrated the legal win with a "VICTORY" announcement in the briefing room.