A mural thought to have been painted by street artist Banksy is set to go on public display after a charity won a High Court fight over its ownership.
The mural was spray-painted on the wall of an amusement arcade in Folkestone, Kent, about a year ago, a judge was told. The Creative Foundation – a charity which is based in Folkestone and promotes art – and arcade bosses disputed ownership.
Mr Justice Arnold ruled in favour of the charity after a High Court hearing in London. Creative Foundation bosses said the owner of the building where the arcade is based had given the mural – which features an elderly woman and is known as “Art Buff” – to them.
Squirrel rescue gets £1.3m boost
Efforts to save endangered red squirrels are set to receive a £1.2 million boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Funding will go to support a four-year programme to secure the future of the native red, immortalised as “Squirrel Nutkin” by Beatrix Potter, across the UK.
Red squirrels have vanished from most of England and Wales and from parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland as a result of the impact of non-native grey squirrels, introduced from America in the 19th century. Grey squirrels out-compete the reds for resources and carry a squirrelpox disease that is fatal to the native species.
‘Greatest’ pilot reunited with rocket
The man dubbed Britain’s greatest pilot has been reunited with the infamous rocket-powered enemy aircraft he flew 70 years ago.
Captain Eric Brown, 96, piloted the Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet on June 10 1945 after capturing it at Husum, Schleswig Holstein, Germany, at the end of the Second World War.
Under instructions from prime minister Sir Winston Churchill – who wanted to learn as much as possible about Germany’s technological weapons – Capt. Brown was part of a mission tasked with travelling to the country, testing rocket aircraft and bringing them back to Britain.
Animal prints go under hammer
Elephants, giraffes, goats, and even a cockroach at Oakland Zoo are producing colourful paintings that will be auctioned off for charity.
Elephants held paintbrushes in their trunks and giraffes used their mouths to produce their artwork one stroke at a time. Goats, lemurs and meerkats had their hooves, paws and claws dabbed with non-toxic, water-based paint and ran over a blank sheet of poster board while chasing a treat.
Thirty-two of the works are being auctioned on eBay.
Speeder was on his way to court
A driver clocked at 112mph on a motorway in Vermont told police he was heading to court – to take care of a speeding ticket.
The 33-year-old man from West Hartford, Connecticut, was also weaving in and out of traffic in Royalton on Interstate 89 before he was pulled over. The speed limit on the road is 65mph.
The driver was charged with excessive speeding and negligent operation.
Police use canoe to catch suspect
Police grabbed a canoe off a bystander to give chase when a suspect ran into a river after being hit with a stun gun.
State police in Newport, Pennsylvania, said a trooper noticed the 42-year-old suspect who he believed had a suspended licence and was wanted for several warrants.
The man drove away and then fled on foot, prompting one officer to deploy the stun gun, causing the man to fall to the ground. The suspect got up and fled into the Juniata River. Troopers used the nearby canoe to catch up with him in the water and take him into custody.