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A young girl with a rare genetic condition will celebrate her birthday next week.

Her family is asking people to send her a birthday card

People are being given the chance to own a piece of history for themselves as stones from Durham Cathedral are being put up for auction.

The stones were taken from the top of the central tower during recent renovation work.

The proceeds will go towards a campaign to create a £10m fund to cover the cost of repair and conservation work at the cathedral.

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A woman has told the sex assault trial of former footballer Paul Gascoigne that she did not know it was him at the time.

The 52-year-old is accused of an "unpleasant" sex assault on the service from York to Newcastle in August 2018.

At Teesside Crown Court she said: "He kissed me full on the lips. I was taken aback, it was completely out of the blue.

"I pushed him off to say that’s not ok. I just completely froze.

"It was sloppy and it was not like a peck on the cheek, it was very full on the lips. It was a forceful kiss."

She said another passenger intervened and said it was an assault and not appropriate behaviour.

It was only a few days later, after seeing a TV report, that she realised the man was Mr Gascoigne, she said.

Mr Gascoigne denies sexual assault by touching.

The trial continues.

The former Newcastle and Middlesbrough footballer Paul Gascoigne “forcefully and sloppily” kissed a woman on the lips while drunk on a train, a court heard.

Teesside Crown Court was told Mr Gascoigne had been noisy and shouting and at one stage tried to sit on the woman, who was on her way home from work.

Prosecutor William Mousley said the woman left the train “shocked, upset, perhaps even frightened.”

Mr Gascoigne denies sexual assault by intentionally touching in August last year.

The jury heard he was arrested in Jesmond, Newcastle and told the police he had “kissed a fat lass. “

He told them it was “a peck on the lips” and indicated he did not consider it serious.

The trial continues.

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