A man has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to killing a woman at house in Castleford.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Rebecca Simpson, 30, died in hospital after being found seriously injured at a property in Smawthorne Grove on 26 August.

Ricky Knott, 32, of Arnside Close, Castleford, was charged with murdering Ms Simpson but pleaded guilty midway through his trial to a charge of manslaughter.

He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court last week.

The full programme for York's annual Jorvik Viking festival has been revealed, as the city prepares for the largest event of its kind in Europe next month.

Image source, JORVIK

This year the nine-day event will run across two weekends, as the organisers hope to attract more revellers.

There will be a series of demonstrations including woodturning workshops, competitions and talks about Norse culture.

A new route for a parade to Coppergate will also be announced.

The festival will run from 15 to 23 February.

Image source, JORVIK

Pauline Leeming manipulated accounts at a firm in Leeds as her addiction "spiralled out of control".

A man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of a 12-year-old boy who was injured in a drive-by shooting in Sheffield.

The child, an "innocent bystander", needed surgery after he was hit in the leg in the Arbourthorne area of the city on 12 January.

Stephen Dunford, 25, of Fellbrigg Road, Sheffield, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life in relation to the incident.

He appeared at Sheffield Crown Court earlier where he was remanded into custody ahead of his next appearance at the same court on 4 February. A provisional trial date has been set for 6 July.

Three other people, a 42-year-old woman and two 30-year-old men, have also been arrested in connection with the incident.

A multi-million pound plan to transform a historic area of York is due to be discussed later.

Image source, Google

The Castlegate Masterplan aims to revitalise land behind Clifford's Tower by creating a public space and building new riverside walkways.

There are also plans for a total of 106 new apartments in the area, including affordable council housing.

If given the go-ahead, it's expected the work will take about three years to complete.

BBC Sport

Beverley's Kyle Edmund has been knocked out of the Australian Open after losing earlier.

Image source, Steven Paston/PA Media

The Briton fell 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to Serbia's 24th seed Dusan Lajovic.

This was Edmund's fourth first-round exit in six appearances, with the other being a second-round defeat in 2017.

The 25-year-old Yorkshireman was leading 5-2 in the opening set on Monday before the match was postponed following the deluge of rain which decimated day one's play.

Passive play from the world number 65 allowed Lajovic to instantly fight back to 5-5 when they resumed in bright sunshine at Tuesday lunchtime.

"I just couldn't get into the match and he played well. I have to learn from it," Edmund told BBC Sport.

A new mock court room to help law students at Bradford University is due to be be opened later by the former President of the Supreme Court, Lady Brenda Hale.

Lady Hale and her famous brooch collection became headline news last year as the highest court in the land came into conflict with the UK government over its prorogation of parliament.

The facility she will be opening in Bradford is designed to give students a chance to experience a proper court atmosphere. It'll also be open to community groups in Bradford.

The room will be named after Lady Hale, who was the first female president of the Supreme Court and who retired from the post earlier this month.

The rail regulator says Network Rail's performance was not good enough in the north and central England.

Police looking for a missing 21-year-old man who was last seen in a Hull nightclub at the weekend are searching a river as part of their operation.

Image source, Humberside Police

Charlie Allan was last seen in the early hours of Sunday leaving Spiders on Cleveland Street before walking alone in the direction of Chapman Street.

Police say they've received footage which appears to show a person falling into the river in the early hours of Sunday.

Humberside Police officers say they're concentrating their search in and around the River Hull.

The club has said uncertainty about the club's future ownership is now at an end.

Barnsley is one of the best places to go to for a night out in Yorkshire, it's being claimed.

The town has been awarded Purple Flag status by the Association of Town and City Management, which says it offers an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.

Leeds, Sheffield and Halifax have also earned the accreditation.

Purple Flag status recognises "the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy", according to the association.

The award recognises work being carried out to tackle issues like binge drinking, according to Barnsley Council.

Councillor Jim Andrews, cabinet spokesperson for public health, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Purple Flag accreditation.

“We have worked hard over the past three years to improve Barnsley’s evening and night-time economy and address a number of issues to make our town centre a more vibrant and welcoming place which offers a safe and enjoyable night out."

Have you seen Mateusz Lugowski? Police have released a CCTV image of the teenager in Wakefield at the weekend in the hope it might help jog someone's memory.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

The 16-year-old is pictured near Domino's Pizza in Chantry Bridge at about 14:45 on Sunday and is the last known sighting of the teenager.

He is described as being 5ft 2ins tall and was wearing a navy hoodie, grey tracksuit bottoms and he had a blue rucksack with him.

Det Insp Suzanne Gall said: "We are growing increasingly concerned about Mateusz’s welfare and we urgently need to reunite him with his family."

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is being asked to get in touch with West Yorkshire Police.

Sheffield United sign defender Jack Robinson on two-and-a-half-year deal from Nottingham Forest.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to turn a former police station in Bradford into a mosque have been refused by councillors over parking concerns.

Image source, LDRS

Queens House, on Queens Road in Manningham, dates back to 1892 and was originally built as a police station, and lies within the St Pauls Conservation Area.

Last year, a planning application by the Community Link Project Bradford to convert the building into a mosque were submitted to Bradford Council.

That application has now been refused by planning officers, who raised concerns about inadequate parking for the new facility, poor vehicle access and possible noise impact.

The plans would have seen the three storeys of the building’s interior changed to include a large prayer hall, classrooms, activity areas, washing facilities and a meeting room.

The mosque would have had 12 parking spaces, but such a building would require at least 30 parking spaces, officers warned.

In a report, they added: "The demand for on-street parking in this area is already high and the shortfall in parking numbers is as such that it would lead to a high potential for indiscriminate parking in the immediate area."

Andy Kershaw
BBC Radio Sheffield News

These are the latest pictures from Arbourthorne, in Sheffield, where police have cordoned off a block of flats following the death of a man in the early hours of this morning.

Police were called to Brimmesfield Close at about 01:45 after a 54-year-old man was found "at the bottom of a set of flats". He was pronounced dead a short time later.

South Yorkshire Police said it is treating the death as 'suspicious' and said a 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A 54-year-old man was found dead in Arbourthorne, Sheffield.

Nottingham Forest sign Huddersfield Town winger Adama Diakhaby on loan until the end of the season.

A man has been arrested following the "suspicious" death of another man in Sheffield this morning.

Image source, Google

Officers were called to flats on Brimmesfield Close in Arbourthorne at about 01:45 this morning after reports a 54-year-old man had been found "at the bottom of a set of flats", police say.

He was pronounced dead shortly after.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested and is assisting police with their inquiries, according to the South Yorkshire force.

Temporary Det Ch Insp Mark Oughton said: “There is currently a cordon outside the flats while officers continue with inquiries and speak to potential witnesses.

"At this moment in time, this incident is not being connected to any other investigations in that area."

A car has been destroyed after it was deliberately driven into a shop in Halifax and set on fire.

Image source, Julie Wright

The Volvo was reversed into the disused shop unit on Bull Green at about 02:30 this morning before being set on fire in what police say was a "targeted" attack.

Nobody was injured but police say the fire could have caused harm to people living nearby if it wasn't for "the quick actions of the occupants of the flat above".

Det Insp Sam Lindsay said: “This is being treated as a targeted attack, with the same property also being the subject of a previous arson attack last month.

"There is not believed to be any threat to the wider community," he added.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has information about the incident, is being asked to contact police.

The company which looks after railway infrastructure is being investigated over its poor performance on routes used by train operators Northern and TransPennine Express.

Image source, Network Rail

The two operators are being closely scrutinised by the government over the service they provide after they came in for heavy criticism last year.

Now, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) says it has put Network Rail "on a warning" in relation to its work in the North West and Central regions of England.

The regulator said Network Rail's performance deteriorated in 2018 and "failed to substantially recover during 2019".

ORR chief executive John Larkinson said: "The top priority for passengers is that their train arrives on time and that isn't happening consistently enough across the country.

"ORR is responsible for looking at how Network Rail contributes to train delays, and while there are areas of very good performance such as in Wales and Western region, Network Rail's performance in North West and Central region is not good enough.

"That is why we are putting the company on a warning to make sure its improvement plans deliver for passengers."