Lincoln accountants launch legal services practice

A 66-year-old man has pleaded guilty to one charge relating to the flight which cost Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala and Lincolnshire pilot David Ibbotson their lives in 2019.

David Henderson, of East Riding in Yorkshire, entered a guilty plea at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, relating to the charge of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

This charge relates to an incident in January 2019, when footballer Emiliano Sala was flying over to Cardiff to complete a £15 million club record transfer from French side Nantes.

Emiliano Sala pictured with Cardiff’s CEO & Executive Director Ken Choo after joining the Welsh club at the weekend. | Photo: Cardiff City FC

The plane he was travelling on, a Piper Malibu N264DB piloted by David Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle in North Lincolnshire, crashed north of Guernsey after poor weather conditions.

The crash killed both Sala and Ibbotson, with the former’s body being found some two weeks after the incident. Ibbotson’s body was never located.

North Lincolnshire Pilot David Ibbotson. | Photo: GoFundMe page

Henderson has denied a further charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft, with the full two-week trial now due to start at 2pm on Tuesday.

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch’s report into David Ibbotson’s death found that he had likely suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and was flying too fast for the plane’s design limits.

An investigation found that Ibbotson had no night flying training, and held a private license that didn’t allow him to conduct flights for reward.

A grand opening event has been held at the new Rebos Department Store in Boston, as it replaces the iconic Oldrids shop some 200 years after it first opened in the town.

Oldrids closed on Strait Bargate in July 2020, after an incredible 216 years of trading in Boston, blaming the closure on the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced footfall.

It has been replaced with Rebos Department Store, a new flagship shop for the town which boasts beauty, fashion and homeware products, as well as gifts, a restaurant and a cafe.

The mayor of Boston, Councillor Frank Pickett, was in attendance for the grand opening. | Photo: Boston Borough Council

It first opened on October 4, but a grand opening event was held on Friday, October 15, with Boston Borough Council leader Paul Skinner and mayor of the town Frank Pickett in attendance.

A spokesperson for Boston Borough Council said: “It was a fantastic opportunity to meet the team and celebrate the opening of the store – which has breathed new life into the former Oldrids building.

“We’d like to thank Rebos Boston for inviting us along and we wish them every success for the future!”

Breathing new life into the former Oldrids building! | Photo: Boston Borough Council

Rebos owner Serkan Arslan said: “We were able to employ more people (around 50) to join the new store and it’s such a unique location, the best in any town.

“We hope bringing Rebos to the town centre will help other businesses to grow. We appreciate the support from the people of Boston and if you come to see us please leave a Google review so we can continue to improve the store.”

Chestnut Homes has generously gifted St Barnabas Hospice the Folklore Imp after making an £8,000 winning bid at the Lincoln Imp Trail auction.

The popular Imp Trail was organised by Lincoln BIG and ran over the summer across the city, before coming to an end last month ahead of the farewell parade and auction.

The 31 statues went under the hammer at an average selling price of £4,000, when the Lincoln Imp Trail auction was held in the city’s iconic Cathedral on Lincolnshire Day, October 1.

Carrying the Imp back inside his new home. | Photo: David Harrison

An impressive £125,000 was raised with A Little Lucky Imp fetching the highest bid of £10,000, but the new owner will remain private for now – see a breakdown of what each imp sold for here.

The Folklore Imp was designed by local artist Carolyn Short and sponsored by St Barnabas. It was purchased by Chestnut Homes who gifted it back to the charity.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice said: “Thank you to all our corporate sponsors, with your support £125,000 was raised for St Barnabas Hospice to allow us to continue to provide care and support to people in Lincolnshire who need it most.”

The Folklore Imp has a new home. | Photo: David Harrison

Standing proudly with the Folklore Imp. | Photo: David Harrison

Rob Newton, construction director at Chestnut Homes, said: “Being able to return the Folklore Imp to the team and patients at St Barnabas Hospice has been a highlight for everyone at Chestnut Homes.

“We are hugely grateful to all the staff at St Barnabas Hospice for all their hard work at this extremely difficult time and we are looking forward to supporting the hospice more in the future.”