FIVE years ago this week, a twisted skeleton found underneath a council car park in Leicester was confirmed to be the remains of King Richard III.

DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, skeletal examination, archaeological evidence and historical records were all combined to put a name to the bones.

Darlington-born Philippa Langley instigated the search, and said it was the culmination of years of effort with the Leicester University team.

She said: "This has been an extraordinary journey of discovery.

"We came with a dream and today that dream has been realised. This is a historic moment that will rewrite the history books."

The notorious king had close links with Middleham, near Richmond, and Sheriff Hutton, near York. He was cut down at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 aged 32, ending the Wars of the Roses.

The remains, recovered from what was once the site of Grey Friars Church, in Leicester city centre, showed the curvature of the spine consistent with descriptions from Richard's lifetime.

He died from one of two significant wounds to the back of the skull, possibly caused by a sword and a halberd -a pole with a spike and axe head on the end -and again consistent with contemporary accounts.

The skeleton also showed a number of non-fatal injuries to the head, ribs and pelvis, thought to have been caused by "humiliation injuries" after death.

And, most crucially, DNA from the skeleton matched that of two of Richard III's descendants, Canadian-born furniture maker Michael Ibsen and a second person who wanted to remain anonymous.

IN Durham, a lone newt halted the construction of a £14m police headquarters when it was discovered hundreds of metres away from the site.

The newt was found well beyond the proposed site for a new Durham Police headquarters, in Durham City. However, its discovery triggered the imposition of a 500-metre exclusion zone, which reached onto the plot.

Temporary Chief Constable Mike Barton said: "We are an organisation that enforces the law, so it's obvious that we've got to follow the law as well. We are comfortable with that.

"But there's a slight degree of frustration. I want to get into the new headquarters so we can start making the savings from having a much smaller building."

And a vet who hates running prepared to tackle the New York half marathon to raise money for cancer research and animal charities.

Peter Wright – now one of the stars of Channel Five series The Yorkshire Vet – trained for his profession alongside Britain's most famous vet, Alf Wight, also known as author James Herriot.

Giving up sport 16 years before, Mr Wright entered the event with his friend, former Middlesbrough FC striker Bernie Slaven.

Mr Wright said: "There are not many families that I know of, including my own, that haven't been touched by cancer, so I want to raise money for the charity Yorkshire Cancer Research.

"There are a lot of animal charities in our local area struggling to cope and I'd like to support them as well."

He prepared for the marathon by running through Kilburn woods with his dog, Alfie.