John Davidson ‘deeply mortified’ over Bafta N-word incident

Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson has issued a statement to say he is “deeply mortified” if anyone thought his involuntary tic at the Bafta Film Awards was “intentional.”

Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordon were onstage on Sunday (February 22) at London’s Royal Festival Hall to present the prize for visual effects when Davidson involuntarily shouted the n-word.

At other points during the ceremony, Davidson could be heard shouting words such as “boring” and “f***”, with many of these interruptions audible on television.

It had been explained by host Alan Cumming at the live event, which took place hours before the broadcast, that such disturbances might occur due to Davidson’s involuntary tics.

Davidson is the inspiration behind the Bafta-winning drama I Swear, starring Robert Aramayo and Maxine Peake. Aramayo would go on to win the Best Actor prize for his role in the film.

Later in the ceremony, Cumming briefly paused proceedings to apologise and thank the audience for their understanding.

The host acknowledged that the audience “may have noticed” some “strong language” and thanked the crowd for their understanding and for creating a “respectful space for everyone”.

In a subsequent public apology, BAFTA said they took “full responsibility” for putting its “guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.”

The organization also said it wanted to “apologise unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo, saying: “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”

In his own statement to Variety, Davidson said: “I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.

“I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me. In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”

He continued: “I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome.

“I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”

Tourette’s is a neurological condition characterised by motor and vocal “tics”, such as coughs, twitches, and fully articulated phrases.

A small number of people with Tourette’s also experience something called coprolalia, which involves involuntary cursing or making socially inappropriate remarks.

The words are not chosen for meaning in the moment. The person who says it usually experiences the outbursts as unwanted and distressing. Researchers class it as a complex vocal tic not as intentional speech. It is not a conscious decision. You can read more about it here.

Tourists told to shelter in place after killing of cartel drug lord sparks Mexico violence

Tourists have been stranded in Mexico and advised to shelter in place after the killing of a notorious cartel leader Sunday sparked a wave of violence across the country.

Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, was killed in a military operation in the western state of Jalisco, officials said.

Video footage subsequently shared online shows cars set ablaze in Puerto Vallarta, where frightened holidaymakers described a “war zone” as plumes of dark smoke rose into the sky from around the bay.

Air Canada, United Airlines, Aeromexico and American Airlines all suspended flights to the region while schools across the country pre-emptively canceled classes Monday and a number of soccer matches were postponed in the interest of safety.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has since delivered a press conference reassuring the public that the country “is at peace, is calm” and that order has been restored.

Her defense secretary, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, added that eight cartel members were killed alongside El Mencho in the clashes with Special Forces, as were 25 members of the National Guard and several others.

Sewage crisis drama Dirty Business is enraging, powerful television

The bar for campaigning British TV is ridiculously high. Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Adolescence were stunningly acted and scripted programmes that sent shockwaves around the world. Like those series (and Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home, the 1966 drama that arguably set the mould for such rabble-rousing gems), Dirty Business identifies something rotten in our society – in this case, the behaviour of privately owned water companies who for at least two decades have made a fortune while knowingly pumping untreated sewage into England’s rivers and seas. Faeces! Sanitary towels! Condoms! Can the rot be stopped? The filmmaker Joseph Bullman makes us part of the answer to that question. Over the course of three episodes that combine acutely distressing scenes with cosy banter and pitch-black satire, we’re basically offered an instruction manual on how to hold the powers-that-be to account and ensure that s*** hits the fan.

Jason Watkins and David Thewlis are warm and nuanced as Peter and Ash, two middle-aged neighbours in the Cotswolds who, from 2019 onwards, pool their knowledge, optimism and tenacity (Peter’s a biologist, Ash is an ex-copper) in hopes of solving the mystery of why the EA (Environment Agency), a supposedly regulatory body, isn’t doing its job when it comes to Thames Water and South West Water. Though these characters have big houses and lots of time on their hands, they are entirely plausible as everymen. Thewlis, in particular, does a fine job with his micro-expressions. He twitches, in a variety of different ways, as the witty, free-jazz-loathing Ash is forced to endure double-speak, pontification and general fobbing off from various execs.

Just as impressive are Posy Sterling and Tom McKay as Julie and Mark Preen, a Birmingham couple whose eight-year-old daughter, Heather, contracted e-coli in 1999, after being exposed to sewage on a blue-flag Devon beach. The actors are completely in sync with a script that always resists milking our tears. There’s no music in the scene where Julie and Mark hold their lifeless child in a hospital room. Later, the handling of Mark’s guilt-induced depression and suicide is even more pared-back. Mark quietly slips out of the story, but he and Heather haunt it.

There’s no denying that a ton of emails are sent and read in Dirty Business. Which may sound yawn-some. Luckily, for big chunks of the time we’re looking at polluted rivers and beaches, which, thanks to cinematographer John Pardue, thrum with Paradise Lost energy. All the murky, watery textures are magnetic (think Hieronymus Bosch meets Man from Atlantis and The Simpsons’ episode with Blinky the three-eyed fish).

Meanwhile, graphics help underline certain convoluted or tricky issues. The horrors of the toxic workplace unfold gently, as we grow to adore two working-class whistleblowers, one of them charged with taking care of dilapidated sewage plants (Asim Chaudhry), one of them based at the EA (Chanel Cresswell), who basically wake up every morning thinking, “I f****ing hate my life!” In the real world, both whistleblowers were men; in Dirty Business, one has been turned into a glamorous young woman, but that Erin Brockovich-esque touch feels justified.

The villains, here, are entertainingly ghastly, including Charlotte Ritchie’s well-spoken EA executive, Sophie, who greenwashes with the most sinisterly plucky of smiles. Britain’s class system, by the way, dominates this story. Alice Lowe is Susan Davy, the CEO of South West Water, who gets patronised by her posh aides. The latter decide Davy is the perfect person to go out and soothe the furious English public, because “you’re almost one of them”. There’s a beat as Davy tries to decide if this is a compliment or an insult. Time and again, in town hall-based sequences showing just how angry the average person is about this issue, we get to hear authentic, working-class accents. And what these ordinary people have to say couldn’t be more eloquent.

Who should we be most angry with? Dirty Business is audaciously keen to point fingers. Former EA bigwigs Sir James Bevan and Dr Toby Willison definitely seem deserving of punishment. And if the CEOs of corporations like the Macquarie Group aren’t named and shamed in the same way, the language used about them is explicit. Ash compares them to “crime bosses”.

Bullman made Channel 4’s Partygate, which skewered the hypocrisy of the Tory party during the Covid years. It’ll be interesting to see how politicians react to Dirty Business. If David Cameron, Liz Truss and Labour’s one-time environment minister, Steve Reed, have any shame (debatable), they will be left squirming by the real-life footage used here. It is not pretty viewing for Sir Keir Starmer, either.

From now on, I’ll always check the Surfers Against Sewage app before swimming in the sea, but Dirty Business is about so much more than what we do on our holidays. There’s a by-election coming up, with the Greens hammering home the message that how we treat our environment is the opposite of a middle-class issue. Should the Greens’ Hannah Spencer – aka Hannah the plumber – win Gorton and Denton, she may well have reason to send a thank-you note to Channel 4.

Martin Lewis apologises after gatecrashing Badenoch interview on student loans

Money expert Martin Lewis has clashed with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch over the student loans system after walking onto set during her live interview on ITV.

During a conversation on Good Morning Britain about the Conservatives’ plans to cut interest rates for some student loans, Mr Lewis, who regularly appears on the show, interjected to express his disagreement.

Mr Lewis told Ms Badenoch: “If you want to help the middle-earning students, the most important thing is the repayment threshold should have been increased.”

The Conservative leader responded: “I’m the first person who’s even trying to solve this problem… I want to make sure that those young people, who are paying and paying, and their debt is not going down, get a relief.

“If you think that there is a better offer, let’s look at it… the whole student loan system is not working properly; someone has to do something.”

Mr Lewis replied: “As the interest has already been added to so many students’ loans, lowering the interest rate now will only help those who can clear within the 30 years, which means lower and middle-earning graduates won’t benefit from that change.”

Writing later on X, Mr Lewis said: “Dear @KemiBadenoch, apologies for gate crashing your @GMB interview today. Student loans are so life-impacting that I wanted to ensure the key point was made – that financially, if not psychologically, the repayment threshold is a bigger issue than the interest…”

He added: “Thank you for being so courteous after the interruption – you handled it far better than I would have the other way round. I have asked my office to request a meeting, if you are available, to discuss this more calmly.”

Ms Badenoch replied: “Hi @MartinSLewis, thank you. I really appreciate that, and honestly, don’t worry. I do love a feisty debate!

“It helps people understand what the real issues are. You and I agree on the principle: student loans have become a scam. It took me eight years to pay mine off. I made my last payment in 2011, and I remember how happy I was, and my debt was only £14,000. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a young person with £40,000 debt today. Whatever the Coalition government brought in back in 2012, it’s clearly not working for the world of 2026.

“So I’d genuinely love to come on your show and debate my plan vs yours.”

She added: “Looking forward to seeing you soon.”

The interaction came ahead of the consumer champion’s scheduled appearance on the show, when he described the student loans system as a “nightmare” and a “mess”.

Mr Lewis focused on controversial Plan 2 loans, arguing that changes are being made to loans that would be struck down by the regulator if a commercial company tried to make them.

Following chancellor Rachel Reeves’ November budget, the salary threshold at which repayments kick in under the Plan 2 system will be frozen for three years, leading to some people having to pay more.

From the April after they graduate, borrowers make loan repayments of nine per cent of their income above a repayment threshold, which is currently £28,470.

In the autumn budget, the government announced that the repayment threshold for Plan 2 loans will be frozen at its April 2026 level (£29,385) for three years, instead of increasing with inflation. Interest rate thresholds, which determine how much interest is added to loans, will be frozen for three years.

Speaking about Plan 2 loans, which were issued to people starting university from 2012 to 2023 in England and Wales, Mr Lewis said: “When they were given them in the first place, it was said that the repayment threshold, the amount you pay nine per cent above, would go up each year. That is what students were told.

“Now what the chancellor is doing by freezing that repayment threshold is a unilateral breach of contract. She is changing the contract in a negative way that affects students, or graduates now, which no commercial company would be allowed to do, which the regulator the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) would strike down.”

Mr Lewis added: “The really big problem with this is it’s regressive. Because lower and middle earning graduates will just pay more each year for 30 years and get nothing from it. Higher earning graduates will pay more each year until their loan is paid off so it will reduce the interest that they pay.

“Structurally, it’s horrible, it’s a breach of contract, it is not moral. Chancellor, you need to reverse that decision and give students what they were promised. The threshold needs to go up with average earnings.

“If you want (students) to benefit you either have to reduce their actual debt, you could reduce their debt, that would make a difference, and still be slightly regressive… or you massively up the repayment threshold, that’s what’s hurting people, too much money going out of their pockets amidst a cost of living crisis.”

Mr Lewis added: “And for the Plan 5 loans, the new loans that students take out now, the repayment threshold is set not much above minimum wage… the system’s a nightmare, it’s a mess.”

Interest on Plan 2 loans is charged at the rate of RPI (retail prices index) inflation plus up to three per cent, depending on how much a graduate earns. The Conservatives have announced plans to restrict this to RPI only.

Earlier in February, the National Union of Students (NUS) gathered in Westminster to call on the chancellor to reverse the decision to freeze the repayment threshold for Plan 2 student loans.

NUS president Amira Campbell said previously that the Chancellor should look for solutions to a system in “dire need of overhaul”.

Ex-Mail on Sunday editor denies claims over private investigator

A former Mail on Sunday editor has told the High Court that claims he knew a private investigator was providing information to his newspaper are “nonsense”.

Peter Wright, who worked as editor-in-chief of the paper between 1998 and 2012, was the latest witness to give evidence in the trial of claims brought against the publisher of the title, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

ANL has strongly denied wrongdoing and is defending the allegations of unlawful information-gathering made by a group of household names, including the Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

During cross-examination on Monday, David Sherborne, for the group, put to Mr Wright the claim that he knew private investigator Gavin Burrows “was providing information to the Mail on Sunday” via his colleague at the time Paul Henderson, who worked in various roles at the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail between 1989 and 2005. Mr Wright replied: “No, that’s nonsense.”

In response to other allegations that were put to him, Mr Wright told the barrister: “Some of this stuff is just incredible. No, you’re wrong.”

Among his lines of questioning, Mr Sherbourne asked Mr Wright about the news meetings held at the time of the alleged unlawful information-gathering. The lawyer pushed to know more details on how much the former Mail on Sunday editor knew about the stories that were being pitched and commissioned.

At one point, Mr Wright stated: “If your question is, ‘Did I know all the details of every phone call they made?’ The answer is no.”

However, he did tell the hearing: “The question I often asked in our news conferences is: ‘How did this come to our attention?’” He added that he would ask journalists about their sources if a story was contentious, and he would sometimes challenge a story if he believed it had inaccuracies.

When Mr Sherbourne put it to him that he “tried to play a hands-on editor”, Mr Wright replied: “Correct.”

Mr Sherbourne also pressed Mr Wright on his claim that he knew nothing about the use of private investigators in the UK until the end of 2003.

The lawyer put to the journalist that the Mail on Sunday was allegedly “spending hundreds of thousands on private investigators” between 1998 and the end of 2003. Mr Wright replied: “Well, that’s your figure – but no, I wasn’t aware.”

Mr Wright also argued that he had not seen the shared contacts list for the newsdesk until he began preparing for this trial. “I had no idea they had a contact list,” he told the court. “I mean, it’s conceivable they had one, but I never saw it, I never used it, I never discussed it.”

The trial before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to conclude in March, and a judgment in writing is due at a later date.

‘I swapped supplements for LaVita – here’s what I learned’

If you’ve ever experienced “pill fatigue”, you’re not alone. Every day we’re bombarded with ads for capsules, gummies and vitamin pills. But once we’ve bought them, it’s often unclear whether they’re safe to take alongside other supplements – or whether they even work effectively without being paired with something else.

The wellness industry frequently glorifies having a personalised supplement “stack”, or borrowing a fitness expert’s recommended routine. In reality, bottles of pills tend to clutter up our cabinets, and most of us don’t stick with influencer-approved protocols for long.

Experts consistently tell us that a whole-food diet is the best way to get vital nutrients into the body, rather than relying on pills. But no matter how well-intentioned you are, there are days when you simply can’t hit your nutrition goals. Many people struggle to eat 30 plants a week, and on a daily basis we’re often busy or eating on the go.

When our nutrient intake is inconsistent, it can affect how effectively we absorb essential vitamins and minerals. Certain minerals help enzymes function properly, while vitamins often work in tandem to regulate metabolic pathways – meaning we need balance, not excess, to feel our best.

According to the most recent national dietary data in the UK, only a third of adults eat the recommended five to seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The figures are even lower for children, who can be notoriously fussy eaters.

I decided to try a liquid concentrate that promises to eliminate the all-too-familiar problem of too many pills and not enough time – or willpower – to eat perfectly. LaVita is a product that aims to replace multiple supplements with a single, science-backed daily drink derived from whole foods. It sounds almost too good to be true – but could it really replace my carefully planned “stack”?

LaVita’s founder, former athlete Gerd Truntschka, explained that he stopped believing more pills equalled better health once he began considering how nutrients work in combination, and how staying close to the original food source can improve absorption. He set out to create an all-in-one liquid that mimics the natural matrix of whole foods.

The liquid contains more than 70 plant-based ingredients. It’s a living concentrate that includes enzymes, omega-3s and trace elements, designed for optimal bioavailability – something many pills struggle to offer.

The first thing I noticed about LaVita was the glass bottle. I try to avoid plastic packaging where possible, and in an increasingly toxic world – where everything seems to be served in plastic or bulked out with preservatives and fillers – it was refreshing. The ingredients list also looked promising.

I popped it in the fridge before my first taste test. Once chilled, I poured a tablespoon of the liquid into a glass of filtered water and stirred. It blended well, but even better with the small electric whisk I usually use for greens powders and electrolytes.

The taste was surprisingly pleasant. With so many ingredients, I expected something far more challenging, but there was nothing offensive about it – likely because it’s 70 per cent fruit juice, alongside 18 per cent vegetable juice and five per cent herbal extracts. The rest is made up of oils and trace minerals. Compared to swallowing 10 or more pills a day, it felt like a win.

Ingredients that don’t usually feature in everyday diets – such as rosehips, milk thistle, fennel and sea buckthorn – bring some of the more unusual, bitter flavours. While these can be an acquired taste, modern diets are severely lacking in bitter foods, so it was encouraging to see them included, especially given their benefits for digestion and gut health.

After a few days, the mental relief of simplifying a complex health routine into one daily drink was surprisingly rewarding. For the purposes of the trial, I stopped taking supplements containing iron, vitamins C, A, D, B6 and B12, folic acid, copper, selenium and zinc, as LaVita contains all of these in recommended doses. I normally take them in various combinations to support energy, immunity, brain health, and hair, skin and nails, alongside a healthy diet.

I also appreciated that LaVita is free from preservatives and additives. I’m selective about supplements because many contain bulking agents and preservatives that aren’t great for gut health over time.

Liquid supplements are often praised for better bioavailability, and there’s truth to this. Because they’re already dissolved, the body doesn’t need to break them down in the same way, meaning nutrients can enter the system more efficiently. They can also be gentler on the stomach. LaVita is also vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free.

I was curious about the inclusion of cold-pressed oils and learned that they help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as D, E and K more effectively. I also found that taking the drink with breakfast worked best for me. While you can have it on an empty stomach, I prefer not to take anything containing green tea or B vitamins without food.

Throughout the testing period, the drink was easy to incorporate and enjoyable to consume. I didn’t experience any dip in energy and, reassuringly, noticed no negative changes to my skin – something I’d been quietly concerned about after ditching my usual supplements.

Each bottle contains 50 servings, meaning it lasts almost two months when taken daily. While I still made an effort to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, it was comforting to know that on days when a healthy breakfast was replaced by pastries, or dinner turned into pizza, I was still getting a broad spectrum of plant-based nutrients.

I’ll admit, I initially thought this liquid superdrink might be too good to be true. But the pros far outweighed the cons, and I was impressed by the overall experience. Anyone accustomed to regular juice or squash might find the taste slightly bitter at first – largely due to the lack of added sugar – but the ingredient quality more than makes up for it.

I was pleased with my skin, my energy levels, and the fact that I managed to avoid the cold that was circulating the office while testing LaVita, which hopefully suggests my immune system approved too.

While it’s not a replacement for a healthy diet, as a supplement swap LaVita ticks a lot of boxes: thoughtful packaging, strong ingredient sourcing, and a genuinely easier way to support nutrition. I can see it being a particularly helpful option for busy parents, fussy teens, older adults, and anyone who struggles to eat 30 plants a week – or swallow tablets at all.

Ready to simplify your supplements? Make the switch to LaVita today

Man who murdered four people given life sentence for inmate attack

A man already serving a whole-life sentence for the brutal murders of his pregnant partner and three children has received a further life term after carrying out a hammer attack on a fellow inmate.

Damien Bendall, 36, a former cage fighter, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court for the attempted murder of Michael Mullaney at HMP Frankland, Durham. The court heard Bendall struck Mullaney four times in the head with a claw hammer without warning, with the first blow to the back of his head rendering him unconscious.

Bendall previously used a claw hammer in the horrific killings in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in 2021, for which he received his initial whole-life tariff.

The attack in a workshop in May 2024 was so severe that a prison officer believed the victim could be dead, Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said.

When the officer drew his baton and sounded an alarm, Bendall submitted, the court heard.

Mr Perks said: “The defendant immediately threw his hammer to one side and put his arms out to show he had stopped his assault on Mr Mullaney.”

After he was handcuffed, officers asked Bendall why he had attacked his friend, with whom he had sometimes played dominoes.

Mr Perks said: “The defendant responded ‘I don’t know’.”

His victim spent four nights in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, being treated for depressed skull fractures and bleeding on the brain.

The court heard that the severity of the blows could have been fatal.

In a victim statement made three months after the attack, Mullaney said it had left him anxious, reluctant to leave his cell and struggling to sleep.

Bendall had planned the attack to engineer a move to segregation unit because he was concerned that his mental state was deteriorating, Vanessa Marshall KC, defending, said.

She said Bendall wanted to apologise to Mullaney, saying: “He held no contempt for Mr Mullaney, despite what he did.

“There is evidence that they were friends and he wanted to convey his regrets and apologies.”

Judge Francis Laird KC said the sentence was life with a minimum term of 15 years, but that Bendall will never be released in any event.

He said the attempted murder was aggravated because it happened in prison and due to his “previous convictions for the most serious violent and sexual offences”.

Former cage-fighter Bendall murdered pregnant Terri Harris, 35, her children – 11-year-old Lacey and 13-year-old John Paul – and Lacey’s friend, 11-year-old Connie Gent, in Chandos Crescent, Killamarsh, Derbyshire, on September 19 2021.

He was given a whole-life order in December 2022.

He used a claw hammer to carry out the prolonged attacks at the home he shared with Harris.

He also admitted to raping Lacey as she was dying.

Bendall, in a blue T-shirt and with a shaved head, watched the proceedings via a videolink from HMP Wakefield.

Ex-DJ sold £7m of fake aircraft parts affecting planes worldwide

A former techno DJ has been jailed after selling almost £7 million worth of counterfeit aircraft engine parts from his home in a scheme which led to planes being grounded around the world.

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, 38, admitted forging over 60,000 authenticity certificates for engine components on his home computer between 2019 and 2023, costing airlines millions.

His company, AOG Technics, supplied these fraudulent parts, which were then fitted into the CFM56, the world’s most widely used passenger aircraft engine, powering Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 planes, Southwark Crown Court heard.

In August 2023, planes worldwide were grounded after UK, US, and EU aviation agencies issued safety alerts regarding AOG’s components.

Zamora Yrala for four years and eight months.

Sentencing Zamora Yrala, Mr Justice Simon Picken stated he used several elements of “subterfuge” to defraud his customers.

“Your offending was more or less a complete undermining of the regulatory framework designed to safeguard the millions of people who fly every day, every year,” said Judge Picken.

Zamora Yrala was operating from his garage in Virginia Water, Surrey, buying engine blades, bolts and washers before selling them on to major companies such as Ethiopian Airlines and Aero Norway with fraudulent authorised release certificates (ARCs).

Faras Baloch, prosecuting, said: “Over a period of around four-and-a-half years, Zamora defrauded customers and potential customers of AOG Technics Ltd by falsifying documentation regarding the origin, provenance, condition, and status of aircraft engine parts the company had supplied or attempted to supply.

“Many of these parts were used in or intended for use in the CFM56, the leading engine in commercial aircraft, which powers Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 planes.”

Ethiopian Airlines and American Airlines were two of the largest companies that either bought parts from or ended up with parts sold by AOG.

Mr Baloch said: “In total, AOG sold 5,627 individual parts with false documentation to Ethiopian Airlines for approximately £1.1 million, including seals, bushings, vanes, bolts and washers.”

The world’s largest airline, American Airlines, did not buy directly from AOG, but still found that 28 of its engines were affected by its unapproved parts, which caused it losses of more than £21 million.

The total known financial losses incurred by airlines came to £39.3 million, the court heard.

AOG’s number of employees is “unclear” as only Zamora Yrala, his then wife, her brother and the family’s nanny were ever on the payroll, the court heard.

Customers did receive emails and documents from “other” AOG employees such as “Michael Smith” and “Johnny Rico”.

Judge Picken said: “It seems to be the case that they were not real people but were made up to give the impression that AOG was more substantive than it really was.”

Zamora Yrala forged ARCs, which are required by aviation authorities to prove the quality and age of a product.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) found that he had used French company Safran Aerosystems on thousands of authenticity certificates, even though it never sold parts to him.

Some 90% of AOG’s revenue during the indictment period between 2019 and 2023 relied on those forged documents, the court heard.

Mr Baloch said: “Zamora identified and exploited the trust that purchasers of aircraft parts placed in the certificates and other documents they received.

“He created false ARCs issued in accordance with EU, US, UK, Singaporean and Chinese regulations, which were almost indistinguishable from genuine certificates.”

The offending was discovered when a bolt, supplied by AOG to the Portuguese Airline TAP, would not fit on an engine, the SFO has said.

This led to an examination of the forged documents, and the eventual grounding of planes after safety notices were issued on August 4 2023, the court heard.

On December 6 2023, Zamora Yrala’s home was searched, and he provided a statement reading: “AOG Technics Ltd sometimes (but not always) sold aircraft parts as parts manufactured by Original Equipment Manufacturers when that was not the case,” and admitted responsibility for the falsified certificates.

If the faulty part had not been flagged it is unclear when Zamora Yrala’s offending would have been stopped.

Small broker companies dealing in aviation parts are relatively common, as the demand for specific parts at specific times can turn a significant profit.

A Portuguese investigation into others involved in the offending is ongoing and three people are in custody.

Director of operations at SFO, Emma Luxton, said: “Zamora’s operation risked public safety on a global scale in a way that defies belief.

“I’m proud that we have used our specialist skills and expertise to bring him to justice and this criminal operation to the ground as swiftly as possible.”

Zamora Yrala had worked in the aviation industry from 2011 and set up AOG in 2015 as the sole director, having reportedly previously been a techno DJ.

Nicola Howard KC, defending, admitted he “cut corners” while running AOG but did not fully understand the possible consequences of his actions.

Zamora Yrala, of Virginia Water, Surrey, was sentenced to four years and eight months imprisonment for defrauding AOGs customers and potential customers.

He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years, and will face proceeds of crime proceedings later this year.