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Discuss and debate today’s biggest talking points, directly with our journalists. | | Sgt Richie Catterall with his military medals. He was wrongly accused of misconduct in investigations that spanned 13 years |  | Robert Mendick Chief Reporter | Richie Catterall is a broken man. A soldier in the British Army, he fought for his country in Iraq and Afghanistan and served tours of duty in Northern Ireland over a two-decade career in the military.
However, as we report today, his treatment – or rather his mistreatment – by the British authorities has tarnished his memories of service. He was investigated for years over the death of an Iraqi teacher who was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. Sgt Catterall fired the fatal shot in self-defence during an Army raid on a house in Basra as long ago as 2003. He was cleared of wrongdoing at every turn yet the investigations into the death just kept coming.
The Telegraph has uncovered a court document that reveals the role of Sir Keir Starmer in Sgt Catterall’s torment. The Prime Minister, when he was a rising star of the legal world, worked pro bono – that is without pay and voluntarily – on behalf of human rights organisations that wanted to see British jurisdiction applied in places like war-torn Iraq.
In doing so, the groups intervened in 2007 in support of a legal claim being brought by Iraqis, among them the relatives of the teacher shot and killed by Sgt Catterall. That claim was spearheaded by solicitor Phil Shiner, subsequently struck off for dishonesty and convicted of fraud.
As part of the 2007 case, Sir Keir and Lord Hermer, now the Attorney General, urged the courts to order a fresh inquiry into Catterall’s conduct (see extracts below), telling judges that earlier investigations had been “perfunctory” and “wholly inadequate”.
The case eventually ended up in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg which ultimately forced the UK government to investigate more than 1,000 complaints brought to them by Shiner.
Sgt Catterall told The Telegraph that he was “gutted” to discover Sir Keir’s part in the “witch hunt” against him. “They kept coming for me,” he said. His story is heartbreaking. He has attempted suicide on a number of occasions and suffered terrifying PTSD. It is only thanks to the love of his remarkable daughter that Sgt Catterall is starting to come to terms with his ordeal. | Sgt Catterall and his daughter Demi | Below, we bring you the full story, as well as emotional footage of Sgt Catterall and his daughter Demi who share the seismic impact these investigations have had on their lives.
Watch the video and read the full story here ➤
This soldier did his duty. So why did Starmer hunt him? ➤ | | Windsor Castle and the River Thames, in the desirable county of Berkshire |  | Lauren Davidson Executive Money Editor | In 2020, the pandemic allowed London leavers to leapfrog the Home Counties and buy a home further away from their desks. Six years on, with workers returning to their offices, the convenience of a shorter commute has put the Home Counties back on the map. But not all of them are equal. Which is the most popular – and why?
We asked data firm Propcast to crunch the numbers on the hottest Home Counties. At the top of the list, each with a “market heat” of 49 – meaning 49 per cent of homes on the market are either under offer or sold – are Hampshire and Berkshire.
“Hampshire has it all,” a local agent says. “Beautiful landscapes, excellent schools, easy access to London and the south coast and a relaxed pace of life that appeals to buyers of all ages.” And unlike the nearby Cotswolds, Hampshire villages are “full-time communities rather than weekend dormitories full of second home owners”.
Berkshire, too, with its Elizabeth Line and M4 connections, plus lifestyle attractions from racing to golf courses, appeals to buyers who “want countryside that works for them”.
Other Home Counties are less in demand. Two in particular have fallen from a market heat of 72 and 67 four years ago to just 40 today. Read on to find out which – and why.
Continue reading ➤ | | Guy Kelly Bored, exiled and bidding for attention, the Peltz Beckhams are playing a desperate game of PR tit-for-tat Continue reading ➤ Melanie McDonagh Pubs are good for mental health. Labour must do more to save them Continue reading ➤ Michael Mosbacher Jewishness played no part in my stepfather’s childhood, until Hitler changed all of that Continue reading ➤ | | The landslide occurred after southern Italy was hit by a cyclone | | After moving from Australia to London, Lashan relied on his savings and was ‘making a loss’ on his monthly salary | | After five years of living the expat dream in London – having taken a pay cut for the privilege – Sydney-born Lashan Ranasinghe has turned his back on the high rents and “nonsensical” cost of living, moving to Paris for a better quality of life. He is not alone in seeking opportunity elsewhere: the number of British work visas granted to young Australians is 25 per cent lower than a decade ago. His only regret? That he didn’t leave Britain sooner. Continue reading ➤ | |  | | Mother-of-two Julia Bailey works from home four days a week – while her husband has his own office in the shed | | Increasingly, people are becoming voluntarily housebound by having groceries and clothes delivered, streaming films and only seeing their friends over FaceTime. One family, the Baileys, with two teenagers proudly told writer Nicole Mowbray that they stay in from Friday night to Monday morning. In today’s society, anxiety, laziness and convenience all have parts to play, but what does it mean for our future? Continue reading ➤ | | | Last week, away from the slopes of Davos, the geopolitical order shifted significantly. Largely unnoticed outside the shipping industry, a bulk cargo ship named Winning Youth arrived in China carrying 200,000 tons of iron ore. Lewis Page explains how this event might forecast the fate of Taiwan and the decline of America’s role as the world’s sole superpower. Continue reading ➤ | | | Sleeping with men decades younger than her has made Cindy Gallop an unlikely authority on modern masculinity. She argues that a generation raised on shame and digital fantasy is failing at intimacy. Gallop says that unless sex, confidence and communication are properly taught, technology will mean we pass the point of no return. Continue reading ➤ | | | The much-anticipated Take That documentary has arrived on Netflix. While it does a fine job of telling the boyband’s story, our critic, Anita Singh, feels that it’s lacking in real revelation. The reason for that becomes clear at the end of the series. As Anita notes, while all five of the group provide voiceovers, two band members' contributions are entirely taken from archive interviews. Continue reading ➤ | | | The earlier you start strength training, the greater the health benefits will be, says personal trainer Caroline Idiens | From heart health to sharper thinking and better sleep, lifting weights in midlife is about far more than building muscle. Caroline Idiens, The Telegraph’s fitness columnist, explains why resistance training is essential for longevity – and reveals how you can get started. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more helpful articles for you: | | Thaxted is a place where pastel houses, sacks of potatoes and a mighty medieval church all mind their manners |  | Christopher Howse | “All right, mate. Cold,” said a man moving a sack of potatoes.
“All right,” I replied. “I’ll just stand in this bit of sun.”
“Stand in the sun,” he said, immediately catching my drift.
Thaxted is a friendly place, but I’d come here because I had read this sentence: “The town as a whole is very perfect, chiefly because there is truly not one house in it that would appear violently out of place.” That was the judgment of James Bettley, who has lived in Essex for 40 years and edited the splendid revised Essex volume in Nikolaus Pevsner’s Buildings of England series.
Could it really be true?
Certainly the north-west stretch of the county between Saffron Walden and Great Bardfield is not what comes to many minds when the word Essex is mentioned.
Continue reading ➤ | |
Greenland’s elite “dog sled army” was dismissed as ineffective by Donald Trump, who pointed to it as an example of why the country would be better protected by America than Denmark. What is the name of this Danish paw squad? | Marrow memories Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
I have a theory that most idealistic allotment owners – striding towards self-sufficiency with digging forks held aloft – ultimately become disillusioned. The reason can be summed up by the following (verbatim) exchange.
“Good day out there, darling? What have you got us for dinner?”
“Oh, not bad. There’s a bit of lettuce. Something that probably counts as a carrot and, let me see, nine gigantic marrows.”
“Nine more? I’ve only just finished the leftover marrow soup. I didn’t really fancy that after all the smashed marrow on toast we had for breakfast.”
“Drop of marrow wine?”
Ah, marrows. Easy to grow, even easier to disparage. Recently, however, Patrick White felt moved to write in defence of this much maligned gourd: “The humble marrow is the most versatile vegetable I know. With the pips removed, there is a large cavity that can be filled with literally any combination of meat, vegetables, nuts, pulses, rice and cheese.”
Persuaded? On balance, it’s fair to say that most readers weren’t. “With respect, Mr White,” wrote Don Haines, “you may fill it with anything, but it is still a tasteless, boring marrow.”
Shelagh Parry had a damning anecdote: “The only time my husband of 55 years has refused a meal I have cooked was when it was stuffed marrow. He made himself beans on toast.”
If you were starting to feel sorry for marrows, I suspect this story, from Tom Suffolk, will make you think again: “My late mother was a keen gardener and loved marrows. She’d stuff them with anything edible that came to hand in the kitchen.
“On one occasion she took my two young sons up to London for the day, with the inevitable Marmite sandwiches. Later, she used the remains of the sandwiches to stuff a marrow for their evening meal. My sons, now in their fifties, are still talking about it.” Well, that’s my nightmares for the next fortnight sorted. Can the marrow be redeemed? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, for which you can sign up here.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was CRUMBLING. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | | Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. | |
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