A woman who murdered a vulnerable teenager with her partner and lived off her benefits payments for almost 18 years has died in prison.

Avril Jones, 66, was a prisoner at HMP Stirling and died in custody on Sunday, November 8. Jones and her partner, 82-year-old Edward Cairney, were convicted in 2019 of murdering Margaret Fleming.

Ms Fleming was last seen alive when she was 19 years old at a family party in December 1999. She had learning difficulties and lived with Cairney and Jones at a squalid cottage in Inverkip, Inverclyde, after the pair acted as her “carers” when Ms Fleming’s father died.

The couple murdered Ms Fleming between December 1999 and January 2000. Jones then went on to claim benefits worth £182,000 while the pair staged an elaborate cover-up, which police described as “greedy” and “fantastical”

The 19-year-old was reported missing in 2016 and her body was never found. On what would have been her 39th birthday, detectives issued an appeal to Cairney and Jones to reveal where Ms Fleming’s remains were as they were convicted at the High Court in Glasgow in 2019.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities, is a tragedy for all those who knew and supported the individual..

“Following the death of someone in our care, Police Scotland are advised and the matter reported to the procurator fiscal. Fatal accident inquiries are held in due course.”

At least 66 soldiers have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for cowardice, mutiny and refusing to obey orders, local media report.

The sentences followed a trial of 71 soldiers before a military court in Walikale, in North Kivu province, in eastern DR Congo. Four soldiers were acquitted, while another was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The army said the trial was intended to improve discipline among troops as they battle armed groups in eastern DR Congo.

The region has endured decades of conflict, with fighting continuing between government forces and the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition that includes the M23 group.

The soldiers were reportedly arrested on 20 October in Walikale, where they were accused of abandoning their positions and fleeing during clashes with FRN fighters.

The Congolese army’s campaign against armed groups, including the M23, has long been undermined by poor discipline and disorganisation within its ranks.

The government has repeatedly accused neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the M23, an allegation denied by both Kigali and the rebels despite overwhelming evidence.

The army has faced persistent criticism over its lack of professionalism and disciplined, while soldiers have complained of poor pay and inadequate equipment.

Last month, another 27 soldiers were sentenced to death on similar charges of cowardice after reportedly withdrawing from the frontline during clashes with rebels.

In March 2024, DR Congo lifted a 20-year moratorium on the death penalty, citing the need to remove “traitors” within the army.

The government said capital punishment would also apply to people involved in armed groups, insurrection, as well as committing treason and war crimes.

The decision to reinstate the death penalty was widely criticised by rights groups. However, no formal executions have been carried out since the moratorium was lifted.

Since the beginning of 2025, at least 507 soldiers have been convicted, including 381 death sentences, according to figures compiled by French broadcaster RFI.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained why the names of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Chibuike Amaechi, remain on its portal as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidates for the 2027 presidential election.

The explanation follows a judgement by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC faction led by David Mark and the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.

Justice Peter Odo Lifu, who presided over the case, ruled that the process through which Mark emerged as the ADC National Chairman was unlawful.

The court also invalidated the emergence of Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Secretary and voided the primary election that produced Atiku as the ADC’s 2027 presidential candidate.

Justice Lifu also directed INEC not to recognise decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.

However, speaking during a press briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, said the commission had yet to receive the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the judgement.

Amupitan explained that INEC could not act on information circulating on social media without obtaining the court’s official ruling.

He said, “We have not received the Certified True Copy of the ruling.”

The INEC chairman further stated, “We do not carry out action based on what we see on social media.”