Whitestone Solicitors, Rochdale, News

21/04/26

Amy Winehouse's father has lost a High Court claim against two of his late daughter's friends over the sale of her personal belongings.

Mitch Winehouse brought legal action against the singer's former stylist, Naomi Parry, and her friend, Catriona Gourlay, after they auctioned dozens of items linked to the star. Among them was a silk mini-dress worn by Winehouse during her final performance.

19/03/26

A retired couple could be forced to tear down a £4,500 privacy fence outside their home after losing a planning appeal.

David and Denise Hopwood installed the 82-ft long grey composite fence at their property in Bolton, Greater Manchester, to replace a nine-foot hedge they said had become too expensive and difficult to maintain.

26/02/26

A court has heard that a pickpocket stole a woman's handbag containing a Fabergé egg and watch valued at more than £2 million while she was having a drink at a pub in London's West End.

Enzo Conticello, 29, allegedly targeted Rosie Dawson on Bateman Street in Soho on November 7, 2024. Her bag reportedly held the high-value Fabergé egg and watch — owned by Craft Irish Whiskey Co. — along with a laptop and credit cards. The combined value of the egg and watch exceeded £2 million.

22/01/26

An HR manager is suing P&O Cruises for £9.7 million after slipping on a wet floor in a cruise ship lavatory, a court has heard.

Kerry Middleton, 52, fractured a bone in her neck when she fell in a toilet on board the MV Britannia while attending a management meeting in October 2019. Although doctors said the injury should have healed within six months, Mrs Middleton later developed a rare neurological condition that she claims has left her wheelchair-bound and unable to work.

10/12/25

A Labour-led council has ruled that a nude golden gladiator statue amounts to "unlawful advertising". Grant Adamson, 60, who owns the antique shop where the statue is displayed, says the council has threatened him with a £2,500 fine unless it is removed.

The 20-foot statue, which stands in the car park of his Bulldog Forge antique shop in Ince, Wigan, was originally used to promote the Russell Crowe film Gladiator. Wigan Council claims it is "a criminal offence" to display an advertisement without permission, but Mr Adamson argues that the figure is not advertising anything.