If you have a messy divorce, your children are more likely to get ill — even decades later (writes Tom Whipple). That is the conclusion of an experiment in which people were deliberately infected with the common cold to test the immune system.
After monitoring more than 200 volunteers, some of whom were in their mid-50s, the scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh seemed to show that the trauma had weakened the ability to fight infection.
Those whose parents had stopped speaking were three times as likely to go on to develop an infection as those whose parents had stayed together or had divorced amicably. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists said it was proof that there could be “good divorces”.
Golfer who was struck by lightning dies in hospital
A grandfather has died after being struck by lightning while playing golf, his family says. Philip Shard, 60, suffered a cardiac arrest after being hit while holding a golf club at the Fynn Valley Golf Club in Witnesham, Suffolk. Paramedics, including from the East Anglian Air Ambulance, attended the scene on May 27. The former IT consultant was resuscitated and taken to Ipswich hospital in a critical condition. He died last week.
The golf club has since issued a warning to golfers to “take action at the first signs of any electrical activity”.
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Mr Shard’s family said in a joint statement: “Philip was a kind and loving gentleman, husband, father, grandpa and friend who will be sorely missed by all.” His daughter, Elizabeth Griggs, added: “He would help anyone who was in need, and always had time to see his family, especially his four grandchildren whom he adored.” A funeral will be held in Nacton, Suffolk, on June 13 at 3pm.
Family lived the high life with £40m tax fraud
A family who funded a life of luxury cars, race horses, trips to Las Vegas and a small property empire through tax evasion have been found guilty of money laundering. Geoffrey Copp, 56, his brother Andrew Copp, 51, and his son Joshua Copp, 24, ran a business that assisted recruitment companies with their payrolls. They charged customers for VAT but declared only £20 million of their £250 million income, keeping the unpaid VAT.
The family owned cars including a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, a Bentley and two Rolls Royces. James Waddington, QC, for the prosecution, said that the family stole more than £40 million from taxpayers. The men, who were largely based in north London, were found guilty by Wood Green crown court and will be sentenced later. Their accountant, Simon Hathaway, 51, was acquitted of false accounting and conspiring to help them.
Running is good for the joints - but don’t go too far
Joggers are almost three times less likely to develop osteoarthritis than those who don’t do any running — but only if they don’t overdo it.
Despite claims that running is bad for the joints, a new scientific study has concluded that a regular run is good for the knees and hips and can help to reduce the risk of getting the crippling condition.
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The study, led by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, looked at almost 115,000 people across the world and found that only 3.5 per cent of recreational runners developed arthritis in the hips or knees compared with 10.2 per cent of those who did not run. This was true for both men and women. However, running competitively increased the incidence to 13.3 per cent, suggesting that a “happy medium” is best.
Father’s dog killed son
A man whose dog mauled to death his baby son has been told that he will go to jail. Ryan Young admitted a dangerous dog charge but denied neglect after the attack on Reggie Richardson, who was 20 days old, at the family home in Sunderland in 2015. Young, 32, will be sentenced later by Newcastle crown court.
Soldier of fortune
A dummy paratrooper designed to trick the Germans over the location of the D-Day landings has been unearthed in an attic. Some 500 “paradummies”, nicknamed Ruperts, were dropped over Normandy in 1944 to divert Nazi troops. One stored in a loft in Liverpool is expected to sell for £800 at auction in the city tomorrow.