Stranger

A TEENAGE girl, 17, was reportedly raped by a stranger in broad daylight as cops launch a manhunt.

The alleged attack unfolded in the village of Hassocks, in West Sussex, between 6pm and 7.30pm on Thursday.

The victim claimed to be approached in Keymer Road, near the junctions with Parklands Road and Grand Avenue.

Detective Inspector Debbie Birch, leading the investigation, said: “We are supporting the victim as we actively carry out detailed enquiries, which include CCTV and house to house enquiries.”

DI Birch added: “We have increased our police presence in the village while we investigate, and we are carrying out additional high visibility patrols for reassurance.

“Anyone who has any concerns is urged to stop and talk to officers.

“If you were in the area and noticed anything suspicious or have information that may assist us, we ask you to contact police or on 101, and quote Operation Insight.

“We will provide updates about the investigation when possible.”

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JAMES McAvoy was allegedly punched by a stranger at a Toronto bar while in town for the premiere of his directorial debut, California Schemin’.

The 46-year-old Scottish Hollywood star was enjoying a quiet night out with his wife, Lisa Liberati, when things reportedly turned sour at around 11.55pm on Monday.

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“James was having a casual get-together with the producers of his movie and, as he later learned when speaking with the staff, there was a man who drank too much who was getting escorted out,” a source told People.

“James’ back was to him and the man just punched him.” 

McAvoy apparently tried to defuse the tense situation.

Despite taking a blow, he stayed at the bar and even laughed off it with others, the source added.

The alleged assault happened at Toronto bar Charlotte’s Room.

It’s unclear whether the stranger knew he was punching the X-Men star – or if McAvoy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Scotsman is believed to have escaped injury.

He had been in the Canadian capital for the premiere of California Schemin’ – his directorial debut – at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.

The movie tells the wild true story of two Scots – Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd – who tricked music label bosses into singing them a record deal by posing as Eminem protégés from the US.

Performing as Silibil N’ Brains, the duo partied with Madonna, appeared on MTV and toured with rap legends.

The cast includes Séamus McLean Ross as Gavin, Samuel Bottomley as Billy, Lucy Halliday as Mary Boyd and Rebekah Murrell as their manager, Tessa.

The film is based on Bain’s memoir California Schemin’, which was later reprinted as Straight Outta Scotland.

McAvoy, who grew up in the Drumchapel area, said that coming from a council estate in Glasgow himself, he wanted to tell stories about people from similar backgrounds.

Speaking last year at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom, he said: “I was interested in telling a story not just solely set in Scotland, but about people from backgrounds where they have fewer opportunities, whether that’s council estates or whatever.”

The star added that he was passionate about “telling a story that was entertaining and aspirational, and not just dwelling on the grime and dirt, which is part of that sort of lower economic background, definitely”.

McAvoy rose to global fame as Mr. Tumnus in the 2005 fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and as an assassin in the 2008 action blockbuster Wanted.

He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2006 and went on to earn BAFTA Award nominations for the period dramas The Last King of Scotland and Atonement during that time.

In 2011, he took on the role of Charles Xavier in the superhero film X-Men: First Class, reprising it in the later X-Men films.

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Natali Khomenko has opened up about the unsettling experience in her Tokyo hotel room, and has said she has been left struggling with anxiety and PTSD in the wake of her ordeal

A woman has recalled a terrifying encounter she had with an unknown man she found hiding under her bed in a hotel.

Natali Khomenko, who lives in Thailand, decided to embark on a solo trip to Japan in March. Having arrived in the country, she checked in to her accommodation and was given a key card that would give her access the room.

Everything appeared fine so she set off the following day for some sightseeing, but she was in for a distressing ordeal upon her return. It comes after a warning has been issued to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain.

READ MORE: ‘Traumatised’ family stranded at Palma Airport after being told they can’t board Jet2 flightREAD MORE: Tourist, 27, has finger torn off by parade horse in Spanish fiesta horror

In a clip shared on her Instagram account, Natali explained: “I booked my solo trip to Japan because I thought Japan was a very safe country. I stayed in a very well-known chain hotel in Japan,” she said, adding that she stayed in the room for a day and everything seemed normal.

However, the next day when she returned to her room after a day of soaking up culture, she was shocked by what she found. “I unlocked my room, took off my clothes and laid down on the bed. That’s when I encountered a weird smell,” she said, adding that at first she thought it was coming from her hair or the bedsheets.

She even joked to herself about it ‘smelling like a dead body’ under her bed, but when she looked under it, she was horrified to see a pair of eyes staring at her.

“I saw an Asian man under my bed. I started to jump and scream and then the man climbed out from under my bed and stared at me for three seconds. Those seconds felt like my life was over,” she revealed.

Speaking to The Guardian , Natali further described the man as “east Asian, between 20 and 30, slightly overweight, a bowl haircut and black clothes.”

“I began to hyperventilate and froze on the spot, unsure whether he was about to jump on me, choke me or even try to kill me,” she said.

After the shocking incident, Natali said she immediately called the hotel administration and the police, and they found a power bank and USB cable under her bed.

She said she kept asking the hotel how the situation had happened, but they didn’t have any answers for her. “Even more, they suggested upfront that police won’t find the intruder because they had no cameras,” she continued.

She immediately changed hotels and demanded a full refund the following day. But she claims the hotel didn’t contact her back. She then reached out to holiday operator who she had booked the hotel through, and they offered her $178 (£133) in coupons – despite the fact she had paid $600 (£450) for three nights.

Having contacted the hotel once more, Natali was finally given a refund. But the emotional toll has been far greater. The woman has been struggling with anxiety and PTSD since returning home.

“Sadly, I’ve also had men write to me, claiming it’s my fault or that I just want to denigrate Japan. But all I want is justice, and to raise awareness so this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Women already have to worry about their safety too much, and this is another example of things not being taken as seriously as they should,” Natali said.

Vanessa Agabo-Davalos has spent hours watching the dystopian drama “Squid Game” on Netflix. But nothing could prepare the 21-year-old college student for seeing one of the show’s actors walk the red carpet a few feet in front of her.

She found herself starstruck in the presence of Kang Ae-sim, who portrays Geum-ja (Player 149) on the South Korean thriller. All the more so when they snapped a photo together.

“You forget everything. You forget how to talk — it’s just like ‘Wow, I saw you on TV,’” said Agabo-Davalos, who traveled an hour from the Inland Empire and can’t wait to see the final season this month. “I feel like it’s a dream come true for the ones that really enjoyed these shows.”

She was among the more than 9,500 Netflix fans who gathered Saturday at the Kia Forum in Inglewood for Netflix‘s Tudum live event, an hours-long extravaganza meant to hype up audiences for upcoming series, movies and returning franchises.

People traveled from all over the world to celebrate their love for shows including “Squid Game,” Addams Family series “Wednesday” and sci-fi show “Stranger Things.”

During Netflix’s variety-show like program onstage at the famed venue, the company showed off how its computer animated version of Tony Tony Chopper, a toddler-sized reindeer-boy character in the live action pirate series “One Piece,” would appear in the upcoming season.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro unveiled a new teaser trailer for his November Netflix movie, “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth, who both appeared onstage with the filmmaker. Fans also saw the first six minutes of the first episode of Season 2 of “Wednesday,” which will be released in August.

The event, named after the sound that plays before a Netflix program begins (“tuh-dum”), was part of Netflix’s ongoing effort to harness the enthusiasm its viewers have for its most popular programs and inspire them to keep streaming.

“It is about celebrating fans and giving something back to them,” Netflix’s Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee told The Times after the event. “Of course it is also about promoting … we have a huge slate coming up.”

Netflix hosted the first Tudum event in 2020 in São Paulo, which came from the company’s Brazil team, which had an idea for an event that rewarded the streamer’s fans of young adult shows. That later led to Tudum evolving into different formats including festivals and livestreams, events that were more like a fan convention.

In 2023, Netflix held Tudum again in São Paulo, drawing more than 35,000 attendees and more than 78 million views through Netflix’s social channels.

But Saturday’s festivities in Inglewood took Netflix brand promotion to a new level.

It was the first time Tudum was livestreamed directly on Netflix, rather than on YouTube or social media outlets. The event played like a roughly two-hour live variety show, featuring “ask me anything” segments, as well as performances from music artists including Lady Gaga, who appears in the next season of “Wednesday.”

Xavier Woods, left, and Kofi Kingston attend Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event at the Kia Forum on Saturday in Inglewood.

(Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix)

There was plenty of cross promotion of Netflix content during the show, as WWE wrestlers talked about why people should tune into their weekly live show on the platform, while also speaking about their love for “One Piece,” based on manga.

Tudum host Sofia Carson touted her upcoming Netflix movie, “My Oxford Year,” which also stars Corey Mylchreest, known for portraying King George III in Georgian era romance series “Queen Charlotte” from the “Bridgerton” universe. Sesame Street‘s Cookie Monster also made an appearance with actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who star in the new Netflix movie “The RIP.”

“I don’t think another studio can pull this off in the way that we did,” Lee said. “Fandoms can be unique and distinct. They’re putting all those fans in a room together, WWE fans next to [mystery movie] ‘Knives Out’ fans next to Lady Gaga fans for ‘Wednesday.’ That’s an incredible achievement. That is something only Netflix can do.”

To some people, Tudum is a page borrowed from Walt Disney Co., which hosts the biennial D23 fan convention in Anaheim, pulling together disparate fandoms (Disney princesses, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars) to converge in the same place. It raises the question: Does Netflix, a streaming service that produces shows from just about every genre for just about every kind of audience, have fans in the same way that Disney does?

Over the years, Netflix has expanded its live events and in-person experiences to keep viewers engaged. Those have included “Bridgerton” balls, Netflix-themed eateries and retail stores selling merch based on “Stranger Things” and other shows.

Lee declined to say how much Netflix spent on the event. Some fans bought tickets, ranging from $25 to $75, while others said they scored free tickets. Netflix said tickets sold out in about a week.

Netflix doesn’t have iconic animated characters like Mickey Mouse or storied franchises like “Star Wars” or Marvel. But Netflix’s strategy is to have something for everyone, and because of that, people are reluctant to quit it, industry observers say, even as economic anxieties run rampant.

“That is the competitive advantage of Netflix,” said Larry Vincent, a marketing professor at USC Marshall School of Business. “It really has become the big tent of streaming. They’ve invested pretty significantly to develop a stockpile of content.”

The streamer said last year it had more than 301 million subscribers globally. On Saturday, the attendees reflected that expansive audience.

Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event at the Kia Forum on Saturday in Inglewood.

(Adam Rose/Netflix)

Fans dressed up as their favorite characters from Netflix shows. People wore black dresses similar to Wednesday’s attire, straw hats in support of “One Piece” and green tracksuits like the ones players wear in the deadly “Squid Game.”

When Cookie Monster appeared behind a DJ booth on the “N” shaped red carpet to sing “‘C’ is for Cookie,” adults in “Squid Game” tracksuits joined in the chorus.

“It’s all-encompassing and global and passionate,” Tudum host Carson, known for starring in Netflix movies including “Carry-On” and “Purple Hearts,” said in an interview after the event ended. “It is truly extraordinary to feel the love from every single part of the world — it crosses languages, it crosses cultures.”

Shaheidi Jimenez, 21, came to the Netflix event as a fan of “Wednesday” and “Squid Game.” She hadn’t watched “Stranger Things,” but seeing the screaming fans for the show’s actors on the red carpet made her more curious about the sci-fi series.

“When I see the cast, it makes me want to watch it now,” Jimenez said. “I’m familiar with them more. It makes me want to watch the show and probably get into it.”

THIS is the first photo of the homeless man arrested over a vicious random stabbing at a popular Spanish holiday airport.

The victim was stabbed “a few centimetres” from the carotid artery in his neck in the attack at Majorca’s Palma Airport – used by hundreds of thousands of Brits every year.

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The Sun can reveal this picture of the 45-year-old suspect – a Salvadoran man thought to be one of the dozens of homeless people who sleep rough in the airport each night.

It shows Carlos Heriberto Beltran Perdomo being hauled into a police van to be taken to court, where he faces a likely attempted murder charge.

As of Thursday afternoon, Perdomo was under formal investigation but had not been officially charged over the assault.

Police revealed Perdomo had no fixed address after arresting him on Tuesday morning – moments after the stabbing.

They found a weapon in his pocket which they believe was the shank used in the attack.

The airport-sleeper refused to testify in court and was remanded in custody before an investigating judge on Wednesday.

Sources said they believe Perdomo lashed out while high on drugs after his mobile phone disappeared.

They say he became agitated while he was going through his belongings at the airport after getting off a bus.

The victim is Argentinian man who had gone to the airport with a friend who was collecting a relative. 

He told police he was approached by a “scruffy” looking man wearing a green shirt and shorts as he returned to the carpark who asked him: “What do you know about my mobile?”

Chilling CCTV images handed to investigators show the alleged attacker walking among crowds of holidaymakers behind the stab victim.

The attack occurred amid reports about a worrying rough sleeping epidemic plaguing Spanish airports.

These concerns led to night-time restrictions being introduced at Madrid’s Barajas Airport to stop around 400 homeless people bedding down there.

Detectives said in their first comments about the Palma airport attack: “The incident happened at 10.35am on Tuesday outside the airport arrivals area next to the car park.

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“A young man was stabbed in the neck and suffered a wound a few centimetres from the artery which required several stitches.

“The victim was walking with a friend towards the car park after having gone to meet a relative in arrivals when they were approached by a stranger.

“The suspect asked them about his mobile and then pounced on his victim brandishing a knife which he used to stab him in the neck.

“The young man tried to repel the attack and stop his assailant continuing to stab him, asking for help from security guards who were in the area and managed to restrain the knifeman.”

The alleged aggressor is being represented by a Majorcan based lawyer called Ivan Garcia Lopez.

Mr Lopez confirmed yesterday his client had been remanded in jail and was being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder.

He added: “I am working on trying to secure his release on bail.”

The Sun can today reveal that the arrested man was already known to Spanish police following previous detentions i including one in Ibiza last year.

He is thought to work as a chef in a Majorcan tourist resort, even though he has no fixed address.

A source close to the investigation said: “He was claiming after his arrest his mobile had disappeared after he got off a bus at the airport when he took it out for a moment to search for something in his pocket.

“It looks like the victim was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and happened to be the first person the alleged offender came across and asked about his phone.

“It was completely random. The victim could have been anyone of any nationality.”

Police requested a restraining order for the suspect, banning him from Palma Airport, before he was remanded in custody.

The request was on the basis that millions of holidaymakers use the airport facilities every day and attacks on strangers massively impact tourist security.

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The suspect has not been formally charged with any crime at this stage – as is normal in Spain where charges are only laid shortly before trial.

But he has been warned he could be jailed for up to ten years if convicted of attempted murder.

Urgent action is being demanded over the homelessness situation at a number of popular Spanish airports, including the ones in Majorca and Malaga.

The problem is said to be causing not only humanitarian issues but safety and health fears too.

At Madrid’s Barajas airport more than 400 people are reportedly sleeping rough, with many going out to work or beg during the day and returning each night.

That airport also had to be fumigated last week to treat an infestation of bedbugs, fleas and cockroaches.