By Harry Bamforth

Published: 18:00 BST, 10 September 2024 | Updated: 20:35 BST, 10 September 2024

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By Katherine Lawton

Published: 18:48 BST, 10 September 2024 | Updated: 19:40 BST, 10 September 2024

This is the moment an ex-convict was greeted outside jail by a £200,000 Lamborghini after being freed under Labour’s early prison release scheme.

Around 1,700 people were let out by the controversial scheme today, with everyone eligible for release apart from violent criminals jailed for more than four years.

Photographs outside HMP Pentonville in London show a group of men gathered outside a black and red Lamborghini, including one prisoner dressed in a lakers T-shirt with his hair in dreadlocks. 

Footage then shows the luxury vehicle driving along the street, with the prisoner understood to have been picked up by either the Lamborghini or a Bentley. 

The stunning car is filmed driving slowing through a pedestrian crossing and around a bend on a busy street of cars and pedestrians. 

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An ex-convict (second to right) was greeted outside jail by a £200,000 Lamborghini today 

Footage shows the luxury Lamborghini driving off after parking up outside the prison 

A group of men gathered outside Pentonville prison in London today

The car is filmed driving slowing through a pedestrian crossing and around a bend

The prisoner (pictured) is understood to have been picked up by either the Lamborghini or a Bentley 

The driver of the car is interviewed by reporters outside the prison today 

Those set free by the scheme include hardened drug dealers, violent domestic abusers and even people who have played roles in the killing of teenagers, much to the fury of their victims’ loved ones. 

More than 5,000 are to be set loose over the next six weeks, including domestic abusers and sex offenders. 

Downing Street said the policy had to be brought in to avoid the police and courts becoming unable to lock anyone up because there were no places available.

But chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned some of those released would be homeless which could increase their chances of reoffending. 

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By Jonathan Chadwick For Mailonline

Published: 14:54 BST, 10 September 2024 | Updated: 17:17 BST, 10 September 2024

Apple fans are revelling in one of their favourite occasions of the year – the announcement of a new iPhone. 

The iPhone 16 unveiled last night features new AI capabilities, camera upgrades and a boost in battery life, and is available in a range of colours. 

But it is the arrival of a brand new button on the edge of the device that is getting people most excited. 

The capture button needs to be pressed once to bring up the camera app to take photos and even delivers haptic feedback, much like a video game controller. 

Commentators have called the nifty selfie shortcut ‘incredible’ and the ‘coolest feature ever’, but other fans are sharing concerns that it won’t work with a case. 

The capture button – located on the edge of the phone to the right of the screen – needs to be pressed once to bring up the camera app to take photos

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The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus were the first two smartphones unveiled at the event, with Apple claiming they ‘mark the beginning of a new era for iPhone’

With the new iPhone 16, a solid push of the capture button – located on the edge of the phone to the right of the screen – immediately brings up the camera app, while a second push snaps a photo. 

But users can also scroll their finger back and forth along the length of the button to zoom in and out. 

Naturally, fans have started to wonder how that is ‘going to work with a case’ that’s covering the edges of the device.  

On its website, Apple claims the capture button works ‘seamlessly’ with a new phone case that has ‘sapphire crystal’ and a ‘conductive layer to communicate finger movements’. 

Apple is selling this official iPhone 16 case in a range of colours on its website for a hefty £49 – an extra expense on top of the price of the phone itself. 

Commentators have called it ‘incredible’ and the ‘coolest feature ever’, but other fans are sharing concerns that it won’t work with a case

A solid push of the capture button immediately brings up the camera app, while a second push snaps a photo. But users can also scroll their finger back and forth along the length of the button to zoom in and out. Naturally fans started to wonder how that is ‘going to work with a case’ around the device

Another X user said: ‘But then you have to buy a phone cover. ‘Wondering how you will use that camera feature then’ 

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X user @Erick_O_Mokua said capture button ‘looks incredible’ in response to a video demonstrating how it works 

This official case doesn’t have a cut-out hole for the capture button, but instead uses ‘sapphire crystal’ and a ‘conductive layer to communicate finger movements’

iPhone 16 prices 

• iPhone 16 (standard): £799/$799
• iPhone 16 Plus: £899/$899
• iPhone 16 Pro: £999/$999
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: £1,199/$1,199

Ultimately, it means cases sold by third-party vendors may not allow the capture button to work; MailOnline has contacted Apple for more information. 

Capture button sits flush with the side of the phone, rather than sticking out, so it may be more difficult to press with a case than without. 

MailOnline’s Shivali Best, who is in Cupertino for the iPhone 16 unveiling event, said the new button requires a ‘solid push’ and ‘takes some getting used to’. 

iPhone 16 – which comes out on September 20 – also comes equipped with another button dubbed the ‘action button’ on the other side, above the volume controls. 

While the action button was only included in the iPhone 15 Pro smartphones last year, Apple has put it on all four iPhone 16 variants this year.

Apple’s new iPhone 16 will come in much more pastel and vibrant colors than previous models

The iPhone 16, starting at $799/£799, comes in two display sizes – 6.1 inches, and 6.7 inches for the Plus model (which costs £899/$899).

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Meanwhile the two most expensive options – the Pro and Pro Max – respectively have 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays and cost £999/$999 and £1,199/$1,199. 

The phones are powered by new A18 chips, which feature a 16-core neural engine designed for generative AI-linked tasks and Apple Intelligence. 

What is Apple Intelligence? Tech giant’s AI platform for the new iPhone 16 is coming to the US next month – but UK users will have to wait 

As Apple launched the new iPhone 16 at its ‘Glowtime’ event last night, it was the company’s latest AI features which took centre stage once again.

Now, Apple has finally revealed that its highly anticipated Apple Intelligence will begin to roll out in the US next month.

As part of the iOS 18.1 update, iPhone 16 users will get access to AI features including rewriting tools, summarised notifications, and big improvements to Siri.

However, UK tech fans will need to wait a little while longer as the California-based tech giant says that Apple Intelligence won’t arrive there until December.

So, with the rollout of Apple’s first-ever AI tools just around the corner, MailOnline breaks down what is coming and when you can expect to try it out.

Politicians turned their backs on ten million pensioners yesterday, leaving them with just one hope of holding on to winter fuel payments.

Sir Keir Starmer won a vote in the House of Commons to scrap winter fuel allowance worth up to £300 towards energy bills for anyone who does not receive pension credit.

But those who apply for the credit now could be left waiting until spring before they receive any money, with no help during winter.

Money Mail has found that some pensioners have been waiting up to eight months this year for these vital top-ups to the state pension.

Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves during a walkabout in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Experts warn that delays could escalate, as tens of thousands have rushed to apply in record numbers in recent weeks.

More than 38,500 applications for pension credit have been made in the five weeks after the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposal to axe the winter fuel payment on July 29. That is an extra 20,600 applications compared to the previous five weeks. Her timing could not be worse as energy bills are due to soar 10 pc next month leaving ten million pensioners without support.

Last week, Money Mail exposed how pensioners who want to keep their winter fuel allowance face a gruelling application process to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that involves answering hundreds of questions on baffling subjects, including if they want to claim pension credit for any children.

Dozens of readers have since written to us about their ongoing battles to receive the pension credit money they desperately need – and are entitled to after a lifetime of paying taxes.

They paint a picture reminiscent of other government departments in dissaray such as HMRC and many complain of long call wait times to get through to the DWP. In one case, a reader was told there were 200 people in a queue ahead of her to receive pension credit. They also say their letters have gone unanswered for months.

Others give a litany of complaints about DWP staff – that they give out incorrect information, are wrongly rejecting applicants, making poor excuses, are rude to callers and make false promises. In one case, a reader was told the delays ‘hadn’t been helped by the war in Ukraine’.

For years, pension credit has been one of the biggest untapped resources available to those who retire with little or no private savings. Yet an estimated 880,000 have failed to claim because they incorrectly believe they are not eligible, are unaware of it or feel too proud to accept government handouts.

You are eligible for pension credit if you (and a partner) have reached state pension age — currently 66 — and have a low income and little put away.

If you do qualify, pension credit tops up weekly income to a minimum of £218.15 for single people and £332.95 for couples.

Brenda Ronayne, 77, has never been in debt but fears she will soon be forced into the red and may even have to remortgage her home after she has been left waiting five months for her £400-a-month pension credit.

A proud business owner for the past 31 years, Brenda was heartbroken to shut up her sandwich shop Baguette Bar in Swindon, Wiltshire, in March after facing a number of struggles with the enterprise.

She needs pension credit to get by and filled in an application at the start of April.

Within weeks, the DWP confirmed she qualified but five months and numerous phone calls later, Brenda has yet to receive a penny.

She says: ‘In June I was told I would be paid within three to five days. That never happened and when I called in July, I was told there were 200 people in the queue ahead of me waiting for pension credit.’

She warned DWP staff of her fears she will have to remortgage her house if it is not paid soon, as she is burning through her savings.

When she called again just last week, Brenda was shocked to be told her application had not yet been processed.

She says: ‘It’s getting critical – I need the money to come through. I applied in good faith. When I asked about the queue and mentioned the 200 people ahead of me, the woman more or less said I was lying about that. She said, “no one would have given you this information”.’

Following Money Mail’s involvement, the DWP has confirmed it is reviewing Brenda’s case.

Derek Bridges, from Taunton in Somerset, was delighted in March when a call handler at the DWP told him he should be receiving pension credit.

At 71 and receiving £202.25 a week from the state pension, Derek met the age and income criteria.

Sir Steve Webb, a former pension minister and now partner at consultancy LCP

Any savings or investments above £10,000 will affect the amount of pension credit you receive. Every £500 over that sum is counted as £1-a-week income and used to work out what top-up you get, if any.

Those caring for a relative, as Derek is for his daughter Claire and his 92-year-old mother-in-law who is bedridden, can get an extra £38.85 a week, and disabled pensioners an additional £69.40.

Derek has severe arthritis and should qualify for the disability top-up.

He was advised by the DWP worker to apply and make a request for the payment to be backdated for the three previous months, which he promptly did.

But within a week he received a letter telling him that his pension credit claim was unsuccessful.

Derek is not alone. Over the past five years, the DWP has turned down a third of all applications, according to a Freedom of Information request by wealth manager Quilter.

Upon taking it to the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau, he was assured the DWP had made a mistake and he was entitled to the payment.

Derek requested a mandatory review but has not heard anything since.

He says: ‘They don’t seem to care – it’s like facing a brick wall. It shouldn’t be that I have to fight for it. At the beginning I was told there was a 13-week delay. If that is still the case, people will be waiting until mid-December for their applications to go through.’

Pension credit is a gateway to many benefits, worth a combined £3,900 on average, including free dental care, a free TV licence, council tax discounts and help with rent and mortgage costs.

Derek says: ‘Without the badge of pension credit, it curtails all the other payments too.

‘It’s not a fair process. The form is so hard to fill in in the first place – they word the questions in a way that makes it easy to trip up. We lowered the heating last year and will have to lower it even more this year.’

‘The payment means you can have the heating on for a little bit longer when it’s really cold.’

Julie Jones, from Derby, who has helped her 92-year-old mother Constance apply for a pension credit top-up, says they have been left waiting since January.

The great-grandmother-of-four received a letter from the DWP rejecting her application on the grounds she had too much in savings – £18,277 – which Julie says is incorrect.

Julie says: ‘We have no idea where this figure has come from – she only has one account and there was £9,500 in it when I applied. There’s even less now.’

Savings under £10,000 do not count towards your income in the calculation for pension credit so Julie has sent copies of bank statements to the DWP to prove her point.

Julie’s letters have gone unanswered yet each time she calls the DWP she is asked to write yet another letter.

She says: ‘What is the point of writing when the DWP just ignores them? I’m tired of its shocking misinformation, obstinacy, lack of care and understanding, and an attitude of ‘we’ll get to you when we get to you’. The DWP seems oblivious to the stress and upset its inaction causes.’

There are however, clever tricks to use when filling in a 243-question pension credit application to make sure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Derek was advised by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau to complete the application over the phone and let DWP workers fill forms on your behalf.

He says: ‘The advice bureau said you are better off letting them fill it in for you. The way they word the question, it’s very easy to trip up when you are answering.’

Sir Steve Webb, a former pension minister and now partner at consultancy LCP, echoes this, recommending you call the pension credit helpline to apply rather than filling in a paper form. This is because call centre staff can skip dozens of questions where a section doesn’t apply to you. For example if you don’t have any child dependents or if you don’t claim any disability benefits.

j.beard@dailymail.co.uk lucy.evans@dailymail.co.uk

The one-woman warrior fighting ‘national scandal’ 

Theresa Fazzani helps struggling pensioners with their applications

Theresa Fazzani is a one-woman pension-credit warrior, helping struggling pensioners with their applications.

The 58-year-old has been through the entire application process for ten pensioners aged between 65 and 84 in the past year. And after spending more than 100 hours wrangling with the forms, she says the application process is a ‘national scandal’.

She first offered to help her neighbour June just over a year ago. When news of this spread in her community on the Isle of White, she assisted a further nine people.

In recent weeks, a further 31 pensioners who are concerned about losing out on winter fuel payments this year ask for her help.

‘The whole process must be simplified,’ she says. ‘The form doesn’t need to be 243 questions and 24 pages. Pensioners don’t understand what a lot of it means.

‘It just needs to ask for their weekly income, proof of that income, if they have any savings or investments, and leave a space on the back page for any other information.’

Theresa says people often have trouble filling out the form by hand and don’t have access to the internet. But the intrusive nature of the questions and a determination not to be a burden on the state is also a big deterrent.

‘The stigma makes them hesitant to do it in the first place.

‘I spend a lot of time convincing them they’re not doing anything wrong. It’s very sad. They’ve got a lot of pride and don’t think they should be asking for money.’

The first step in the process is to sit with the pensioners and gather all the information she needs before taking it away and filling out the form.

‘They say they have attempted it before and thrown it in the bin because they find the form too difficult to fill in or don’t understand it.

The mental health counsellor says one woman took five weeks trying to complete it all by herself.

In taking up the fight on behalf of local pensioners, Theresa has encountered shocking delays within the DWP.

The average pensioner waits for six months from the time they apply before their pension credit payments begin, she says, but the wait time can be anywhere from three to nine months.

One woman Theresa helped to apply in February – still hasn’t received a response and has been told she won’t hear an outcome until November.

In some cases, she has dealt with applications for attendance allowance first, which helps with extra costs for disabled pensioners who need someone to help look after them.

This is paid as an extra on top of the state pension.

Theresa helped one 77-year-old neighbour to apply for attendance allowance and successfully boosted her pension.

June Davies (who asked for her name to be changed) has been a neighbour of Theresa’s for about three years.

Theresa says: ‘I was happy to help because the year before we watched June shivering. We paid for extra gas for her at the time.’

June says: ‘Theresa’s marvellous. I don’t know where I’d be without her. She’s the best neighbour I’ve ever had.’

Since Theresa posted on social media last month about the complexity of the pension credit and attendance forms, she has been inundated with as many as 31 messages from pensioners asking if she could help with their applications.

While it’s a mammoth task for Theresa to complete on her own – with each application taking about 10 hours to complete – other Facebook users have offered to help and they are considering holding sessions in the local library.

She says: ‘As many as I can help I will.’

While help from charities is widely available, Theresa spoke to one lady earlier this year who couldn’t get through to charity Age UK with the pension credit form as they were ‘snowed under’ and would have to wait at least a year.

If you need to complete the form yourself, Theresa says to get all important documents and information together before you begin. Be aware you’ll also need information about your carer, such as their National Insurance number, if you have one.

She advises: ‘Try and do a bit of the form every day to lessen the stress. Don’t sit there and think “I have to do it all right now”.’

• Hotels.com has launched its annual Hotel Room Innsights Report 
• It has uncovered ‘surprising services and stories from more than 400 hotels’

By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: 15:02 BST, 10 September 2024 | Updated: 15:53 BST, 10 September 2024

Astonishing items left behind by guests, wild room service orders and guitar concierges.

Plus, what to say to get a room with a balcony.

Hotels.com has launched its annual Hotel Room Innsights Report, which has uncovered ‘surprising services and stories from more than 400 partner hotels worldwide… the secrets behind their most memorable stays’.

Here, we reveal some of the most eye-catching revelations.

Scroll down to take a tour to lost and found, the room service department and to discover perks you never knew you needed.

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Lost and found

Hotels.com has launched its annual Hotel Room Innsights Report, which has uncovered ‘surprising services and stories from more than 400 partner hotels worldwide… the secrets behind their most memorable stays’

The report shows the most common forgotten items are dirty laundry, device chargers and make-up and toiletries, says Hotels.com.

But guests also left behind pricey items including a Rolex, a Birkin bag and a €5.7million/£4.8million watch; pets including a chick and a lizard (these were found and returned after their owner checked out); and strange items such as two full-leg casts, dentures, a rice cooker, a car tyre, a blender and construction pipes.

Hotels.com revealed that some hotel staff ‘went to the extreme to reunite guests with their possessions’.

It revealed: ‘One hotel hero drove 100 miles to return a passport, another ran several blocks to deliver items before a cruise ship departed, and another travelled four hours to return a forgotten suitcase.’

Room service

Bizarre room service requests in the Hotels.com report include burnt toast and a caviar hot dog

The most peculiar room service and services orders include an Evian-filled bathtub ‘so a child can bathe in the purest water’; a customised allergen menu for a pet, including gluten and dairy-free options and so forth; burnt toast; a caviar hot dog; fresh goat milk; 2kg of bananas and ‘a high five from a team member to ensure their room service request was read’.

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Hotels.com added: ‘Hotels are adapting to these increasingly odd room service requests, with W Osaka installing a ‘Whatever/Whenever’ button for guests to order ‘anything, anytime.’

Hidden hotel perks – the perks you never knew you needed

The Four Seasons Hotel Austin provides an in-room guitar concierge for guests who want to strum on a premium guitar and the Sentinel Hotel in Portland offers Very Important Pets services, including access to top groomers and a pet acupuncturist for stressed pets.

The report also reveals some insider tips, such as requesting a smoking room to secure a balcony and a higher floor ‘for more space and quiet’.