Bestival manslaughter trial on front pages

Coverage of the trial of a man accused of manslaughter over the death of his girlfriend at a music festival leads to some disturbing front-page headlines.

Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, the daughter of actor John Michie, was found dead in woods on the Bestival site in Dorset in 2017.

“Corrie star’s girl filmed as she lay dying,” is the Daily Star’s headline. It’s a reference to the prosecution’s assertion that her boyfriend, Ceon Broughton, 29, filmed her “when she was disturbed, agitated, and then seriously ill” over several hours.

As the Metro points out: “A month before the incident, Broughton was handed a 24-week prison sentence suspended for one year, jurors heard.”

It quotes the prosecutor saying: “His failure to get her treatment which may well have saved her life was borne of selfishness and in self-preservation.”

Broughton denies manslaughter and supplying drugs.

Meanwhile, the speech given by Theresa May in Belfast on Tuesday is widely covered.

The Daily Telegraph says she risks fury from Brexiteers after saying the backstop would not be removed from the Brexit deal.

However, she also said she was seeking changes to it.

The i accuses the prime minister of trying to be all things to all people and warns this approach will have fuelled the fears of those who think she’s run out of ideas and is running down the clock in the hopes MPs will swing her way rather than leave without a deal.

The Daily Mirror says the hostile response Mrs May received to “her sudden opposition” to the Brexit plan agreed with Europe, should be a wake-up call.

Meanwhile, the Irish Times says the Dublin government has rejected a fresh appeal to reopen the withdrawal agreement, saying it was concerned about London’s “unreasonable expectations” on changes to the backstop.

The Sun says the EU seems to be urging the Republic of Ireland to soften up over the backstop. It believes Mrs May will secure a new deal from Brussels, as long as Remainers “don’t derail Brexit entirely next week”.

Many papers examine details of an NHS report on the nation’s drinking habits.

The Daily Mail says the figures suggest Britons are “falling out of love with booze”, as the number of adults drinking more than the recommended units each week is falling significantly.

The Sun speculates as to whether some of those claiming to be doing Dry January were in fact drinking at home in secret, after supermarket alcohol sales rose 10% last month compared with the previous year.

Comments made by actor Liam Neeson that he once thought of killing a black man – after a close friend was raped – continue to divide commentators.

The Mirror says his admission is disturbing and says “feeling ashamed is not enough”.

An article “In defence of Liam Neeson” appears in the online edition of Spectator magazine. It says what the actor thought and did was “racist and wrong” but he knows this and was trying to highlight how awful and corrupting such feelings are.

But Gary Younge, writing in the Guardian, asks: “Since when do people get credit for confessing they once they thought of killing innocent people on the basis of their race and have since thought better of it?”

The paper congratulates the South Kesteven district council for ignoring objections that the UK’s first female prime minister remains a divisive figure.

Finally, a diplomatic slip by the Duchess of Cornwall is reported in several papers.

After it was confirmed she and her husband were to become the first members of the Royal family to visit Cuba she raised concerns the food there was “terrible”.