News

Dad pays heartbreaking tribute to ‘best mate’ five-year-old found dead on New Year’s Eve

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 7th January 2022

The dad of a boy who was found dead on New Year’s Eve has paid a heart-breaking tribute to his ‘best mate’.

Dylan Scanlon, 5, was pronounced dead at a house on Elm Road in Oldham just after 6.20pm on January 31.

Greater Manchester Police have said an investigation is under way into the circumstances of the death of the child, who has been described as a ‘happy, funny and cheeky little boy’.

A woman in her 30s has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Dylan was pronounced dead at the scene on Elm Road on New Year’s Eve. Credit: Google Maps

Dylan’s dad said: “Dylan was my best mate.

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“He was a happy, funny and cheeky little boy, who was full of excitement – especially about doing new things.

“Dylan loved going to school, playing with his friends and dogs and going for drives with me to parks and lakes. He loved being at the lake but not walking around it – he was there for the ice cream, a ride on daddy’s shoulders and a McDonald’s on the way home.

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“His favourite times of year were Christmas and his birthday – he knew he’d be spoiled.

Read more: Military drafted in to help North West Ambulance Service cope with COVID staff shortages

“I’ve been looking through memories on my phone – videos of him crawling and learning how to walk. I will always remember his face when I got home from work – he was always happy to see me and I loved spending any time with him that I could.

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“Dylan will be sadly missed by all family and friends, especially his brother, who he loved and absolutely adored. I loved watching them playing with each other, looking after each other and just doing what brothers do.

“On behalf of my family, I ask people to respect our privacy.” 

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 1995 quoting 2284 31/12/21. Alternatively, the independent charity – Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Featured image: Greater Manchester Police

News

New endometriosis pill helping hundreds of women with ‘debilitating’ condition to be made available on NHS

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A groundbreaking new pill to help women with a ‘debilitating’ condition is set to be made available on the NHS.

The new daily pill for endometriosis – which has been approved for use on the NHS in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – is called linzagolix, and will be available for those who have had previous treatment for endometriosis, working to manage any symptoms they may be experiencing.

Around 1.5 million women in the UK are thought to be currently living with endometriosis.

Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, heavy periods, and extreme tiredness when tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere in the body.

As mentioned, linzagolix will be available specifically for patients whose previous medical or surgical treatments for endometriosis have been unsuccessful, and will be given alongside ‘add-back’ hormone therapy – which involves using low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to prevent menopause-like symptoms and bone loss.

This is the second take-at-home treatment to be approved to treat endometriosis on the NHS, and it’s thought that more than 1,000 women will benefit.

In clinical trials, linzagolix was shown to be successful in reducing painful periods and non-menstrual pelvic pain, compared with placebo, hence why it has been approved on the NHS by NICE.

“This is welcome news for women with endometriosis who haven’t found relief from previous therapies or surgery,” commented Dr Sue Mann, who is the National Clinical Director in Women’s Health for NHS England.

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“It’s another treatment option which will help women take control of their health and better manage the symptoms of this often painful and debilitating condition.

“This is a testament to our ongoing commitment to improving treatment, care and quality of life for women.”

Featured Image – Heute

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Wigan woman jailed after hitting pedestrian in Fiat 500 while driving high on nitrous oxide ‘balloons’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Louisa Tunstall

A young woman from Wigan has been handed jail time after hitting a pedestrian while driving high on nitrous oxide.

Louisa Tunstall was driving a white Fiat 500 towards the East Lancashire Road in Wigan at around 7pm on Friday 24 May 2024 – a time when traffic conditions were said to be ‘quiet’ – but Tunstall was under the influence of a now-banned drug, nitrous oxide, at the time of the incident, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.

While driving under the influence, 19-year-old Tunstall veered to the left onto the pavement and collided with a 51-year-old woman pedestrian.

After striking the woman, the car then overturned and, in the process, caused serious life-changing injuries.

When questioned by police, Tunstall stated that she ‘took her eyes off the road’ to retrieve something in the footwell before knowing the car had flipped, but she also confirmed that she had just been out to purchase nitrous oxide to use that evening.

After obtaining witness accounts, investigating officers were able to track down nearby CCTV footable which showed Tunstall inhaling nitrous oxide through a balloon whilst driving, seconds before the collision occurred.

Further investigation by GMP’s Forensic Vehicle Examination Unit examined the Fiat 500 and confirmed that no defects were found on the car to contribute towards the collision.

Still to this day, the victim says she is trying to recover from the injuries sustained to her leg that will prevent her from continuing life as she did before.

“The incident is still very raw when I think about it,” the victim explained in her impact statement released by GMP. “I become upset when I think at everything which has been taken away from me and the ongoing affect it has had and continues to have on my daily life.”

GMP says it’s seeing the use of nitrous oxide being a factor in incidents they attend increasing year on year.

Nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, is reported to produce euphoria, relaxation, dizziness, giggling or laughing fits, impaired judgement, and occasionally dissociation and hallucinations – which GMP says affects reaction time and and is ‘likely lead to impairment’ in driving performance, particularly when faced with an unexpected or hazardous situation.

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Tunstall appeared at Bolton Crown Court this week, and has been sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for having possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Alongside being jailed, she was also disqualified from driving for two years and eight months, and has been ordered to take an extended test when she is released.

Featured Image – GMP

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