Wednesday 30th September

Wednesday, 30 September 2026 06:30

Police are appealing for a missing 17 year old from Castle Cary. A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. A former Chard student who is one of six writers in the running to win this year's Booker Prize has paid tribute to his childhood teachers... and more.

Police have launched an appeal for a missing 17 year old from Castle Cary. Reggie was last seen in the town in the early hours of Saturday morning and is understood to have links to Yeovil, Frome, Bruton, Bristol and Burnham On Sea. He is described as white, slim to medium build, just over 6 foot tall with brown hair, and was last seen wearing a grey tracksuit.

A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 9 years in prison after assaulting a woman in Bridgwater. 61 year old Darren Bradley of no fixed address pleaded guilty to sexual assault and breaching an interim Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He assaulted the woman and then walked her through the town before she alerted someone who called the police. Sentencing him, the judge acknowledged the 'significant risk' he poses and that he targeted lone women.

The leader of Taunton Town Council says he welcomes plans to turn the town’s former Debenhams site into a new shopping arcade and flats. Developers say the building, which was closed more than five years ago, will be converted into retail space on the ground floor, with basement parking for people living in the flats on the first and second floors.

A former Chard student who is one of six writers in the running to win this year's Booker Prize has paid tribute to his childhood teachers at Holyrood School. The judges for the 2026 literary competition include historian Dame Mary Beard and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker who’ve whittled down 163 submissions to a shortlist of just six. Luke wrote the book "Black Bag" and says his teachers inspired him early on.