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‘Pure evil’ stepmother beat 4-year-old boy to death leaving his whole body bruised | World | News

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The “evil” stepmother convicted of murdering a four-year-old boy in her care has been identified as 32-year-old Tegan McGhie, following a judge’s decision to lift an order prohibiting publication of her name.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott has handed McGhee, of no fixed abode, a life sentence for the murder of Mason O’Connell Conway at a property she was leasing with the boy’s father in Rathbane, Limerick city on March 16, 2021.

The youngster’s father, John Paul O’Connell (36), was previously jailed for seven years after admitting to endangerment, neglect and obstructing McGhee’s apprehension or prosecution, whilst knowing or believing she had killed his son.

Mason (4) was discovered with severe injuries at a residence in Rathbane, Limerick City, on March 13th, 2021. He was declared dead three days afterwards.

Mr Justice McDermott additionally sentenced McGhee to four years and six months for two charges of child cruelty during the weeks and months preceding the murder. These child cruelty sentences will be served concurrently with the life term.

Mr Justice McDermott offered his “deepest sympathies” to the child’s mother, Elizabeth Conway, and the wider family.

The court was told that on March 13, 2021, the child’s father contacted emergency services, reporting his son had fallen from the top bunk of his bed an hour previously and was unresponsive. When paramedics arrived, they discovered the boy unresponsive on his bedroom floor.

Despite rushing him to hospital and performing emergency intervention and surgery, he tragically did not survive. Medical professionals observed numerous bruises of varying ages across the child’s face, head, torso and legs, indicative of non-accidental injuries or abuse.

The father attempted to explain the injuries by claiming his son was “the clumsiest child ever” and had sustained injuries from running into a door or playing football.

However, during the stepmother’s trial, it was revealed that the boy had been subjected to physical abuse for weeks and had spent four days confined to his room before his stepmother shook him and struck his head against the floor. He had also suffered a blunt force injury to his abdomen, causing a laceration to his liver.

A pathologist determined that either the head injury or the liver damage could have independently resulted in death.

The defendant described the boy as a “bold cheeky child” who often needed to be grounded. When grounded, he was forbidden from leaving his room except to use the toilet and was made to sit on the floor, never his bed.

The defendant told gardai that on the day the boy sustained his fatal injuries, she “snapped” and remembered “shaking him and screaming at him to behave” before he fell to the floor.

In a statement earlier this week, the child’s mother, Elizabeth Conway, revealed her son was born in early 2016 as a “fine, healthy little boy”. She painted him as a “clever little child who brought so much love and happiness into all our lives.

“He had the biggest smile and the most beautiful brown eyes. He was a perfect little boy,” she reminisced.

At just 18 months, he took it upon himself to potty train, proudly adopting the title of a “little man” and preferring to walk rather than ride in his buggy.

His affection for his younger siblings was evident, always eager to help care for them with kisses and cuddles, she added. A cherished memory for Ms Conway is a video of her son serenading his little sister with ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’.

“He was such a caring little boy,” she affirmed.

Upon seeing a homeless man on the street, he implored his mother to offer the man a pizza, and later that night, expressed concern for the man’s wellbeing, seeking reassurance from his mother that he would be “okay”.

Following the “worst phone call any mother could get,” Ms Conway recounted being in hospital with the boy’s father and the defendant when doctors delivered the devastating news that there was nothing more they could do. Faced with the “hardest decision a mother could make”, she chose to turn off her son’s life support.

However, before this occurred, O’Connell and McGhee requested to be left alone with him.

She said: “I can only imagine what they were saying to my poor child’s lifeless body.”

Following the switching off of the life support machine, she described witnessing her “beautiful little child’s heartbeat go down and down” until he flatlined, and she pleaded with doctors to restart the machine.

She arranged the funeral herself and remembered how the child’s father and stepmother “stood in God’s holy house and said how much they loved him and that he was a superhero.”

She said his life was taken by “pure evil”, by someone her son “loved and trusted”.



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Norwegian PM rips into Trump’s ‘unhinged’ Nobel Peace Prize text messa | World | News

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Norway’s Prime Minister has shed light on messages he received from US President Donald Trump regarding the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Last month, Trump reportedly told the Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre he “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace,” after his country “decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping eight wars”.

As reported by The Atlantic, the Norwegian Prime Minister said: “What did I think? I thought, well, it’s just bringing the debate to a level where we don’t solve problems. I’m not going to engage in a shouting match. I’m not going to respond to it.”

Støre did reply to Trump, The Atlantic also added, sending back a short message that said, as he paraphrased it, “I take your message; I still think it’s useful to talk”.

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In his interview with The Atlantic, Støre also said that he was not surprised by the grievance-filled communication because he’s familiar by now with Trump’s fixation on the Nobel Peace Prize. “I reminded him every time that it’s not my decision; it’s not the government’s decision. This is an independent committee. It is staunchly independent,” Støre said. The process is so divorced from politics, he added, that “some of my diplomats say, you know, ‘If the prime minister would try to interfere with the Nobel committee, he would have to resign, because it would simply be unacceptable,’” The Atlantic reported.

President Trump also appeared to link his wish to take over Greenland to the fact that he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This attracted widespread criticism, including from US outlet The Daily Beast, which branded the President “unhinged”.

The document showing his message to Støre, published on X by journalist Nick Schifrin, read: “Dear Jonas: Since your country decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping eight wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think exclusively about peace, although it will always be dominant, but can now think about what is good and right for the United States.”

Støre then confirmed to VG the letter is authentic and said: “This is a message I received yesterday afternoon from President Trump. It came in response to a short message to President Trump from me earlier in the day, on behalf of myself and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb.”

In his message to Støre, Trump also said: “Denmark cannot protect this country from Russia or China, and why do they have ‘ownership’ anyway? There are no written docuements, it’s just that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we also had boats landing there. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not safe until we have complete and total control of Greenland.”

President Trump then said he would charge the UK a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent to the US from February 1, increasing to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.



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Switzerland train derailment LIVE: Several injured as Valais avalanche causes huge crash | World | News

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A train has derailed in Switzerland, with several injuries feared following a huge avalanche. The derailment happened at around 7am local time near Goppenstein in the canton of Valais. An ongoing emergency is underway.

The derailment reportedly involved the RE1 train, which departed from Brig at 6.12am, and is believed to have derailed in the Stockgrabe area between Goppenstein and Hohtenn. There were around 80 passengers on board the train.

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Conscription plans cause riots in the streets of major city with soldiers attacked | World | News

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Violent clashes erupted in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv, as thousands of protesters took to the streets to oppose proposed conscription laws. Video footage from the scene shows two female IDF soldiers being hurried away by police as crowds of men chased them through the city.

Authorities reported that 26 individuals, including the soldiers and responding officers, were directly caught in the initial surge of the mob. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks, describing the rioters as an “extreme minority.” Posting on X, Netanyahu said: “I strongly condemn the violent riots in Bnei Brak against female IDF soldiers and Israel police officers. This is an extreme minority that does not represent the entire haredi community. This is a grave and unacceptable matter.”

The protests come amid ongoing tensions over legislation that could force members of the ultra-Orthodox community to serve in the Israeli military.

Many in Bnei Brak have staged repeated demonstrations, insisting that full-time religious study is their highest duty and objecting to mandatory enlistment.

The violence escalated on Sunday, with authorities reporting at least 23 arrests. Protesters destroyed a bus, set police motorcycles on fire, and overturned a patrol vehicle.

Reports from Ziratnews confirmed that three police officers were injured, while broadcasters Roi Yanovsky and a second journalist were attacked while reporting.

Mr Netanyahu added in his post: “We will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any harm to IDF servicemen and security forces who carry out their duties with dedication and determination.”

His remarks highlighted the government’s determination to uphold law and order amid the unrest.

Roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13% of Israel’s population. Broad exemptions from military service for this community have long been a source of controversy, and the proposed changes have reopened deep societal divides.

The issue has gained even greater sensitivity during Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza.

The unrest in Bnei Brak coincided with reports of continued violence in Gaza, where hospitals said at least 11 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes over the previous 24 hours. Among the dead were five men in their 20s, killed in Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out multiple strikes in response to several ceasefire violations near the Yellow Line.

Tel Aviv District Commander Sargaroff stated that the soldiers had not coordinated their visit beforehand, while IDF Chief of Staff Zamir reached out to the targeted commanders. Police later noted they cannot easily manage IDF entry into these neighbourhoods following such intense friction.

Police and security forces continue to maintain a heavy presence near Jabotinsky Street, attempting to prevent further violence as protesters continue to block transport routes. Observers warn that unless a resolution is reached, future protests could turn even more violent.



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