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Lorry crash causes severe disruption for drivers
There are major delays on the M40 northbound near Bicester after a crash with a car and a lorry caused the slip road to be blocked. Police are on the scene.
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Oxford News
Leonardo DiCaprio buys £95m Cotswolds castle for new mega movie
The Oscar-winning actor has completed the purchase of the sprawling estate on the edge of the tiny Oxfordshire village of Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green.
According to inside sources today (Wednesday, April 1), the 51-year-old is also enrolling on a drama degree at Oxford University, saying he hopes to “pick up a few acting tips” while also working on other movies such as Once Upon a Time in Cotswolds in addition to The Wolf of Broad Street.
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Leonardo DiCaprio. (Image: Ian West / PA)
His agent described it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mr DiCaprio to immerse himself in British student life while continuing to develop his craft away from the glare of Hollywood.
The representative added that the star wanted a base that allowed him to live like a local while still having room for friends, family and the occasional A‑list visitor.
Dating back to the 14th century, Fibbingdon Castle is a turreted, honey-stone pile overlooking rolling fields and dry-stone walls.
The property comes with a private cinema, an underground car museum and a disguised helipad in the grounds.
READ MORE: Beyonce visits Cotswolds in helicopter to house hunt with Jay-Z
The choclate-box Cotswolds village. (Image: Newsquest)
Locals say the estate, which has been in private hands for generations, has rarely been seen beyond its high Cotswold stone walls and iron gates.
Reaction in Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green, a chocolate-box hamlet just a short drive from Oxford, has been mixed as word of the sale has spread.
Inoa Lye, a retired teacher who has lived in the village for 40 years, was left delighted at the thought of a Hollywood star moving in.
She said: “It’ll put us on the map, won’t it?
“If he wants to pop down to the pub quiz or help judge the village fete cake competition, he’ll be very welcome.”
READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds in the Cotswolds as Blake Lively meets Prue Leith
Fibbingdon Castle dates back to the 14th century. (Image: Newsquest)
Mr DiCaprio will follow in the star-studded footsteps of several celebrities who live in the Cotswolds, including Jeremy Clarkson, Kate Moss, Ellen DeGeneres, and the Beckhams.
Former University professor Telung Porkis, who now lives in Upper Fibbingdon, said: “We’ve already got weekenders, YouTubers and people with more Labradors than sense.
“Now we’re getting the Wolf of Broad Street and his entourage? Pull the other one.”
Farmer Nott Reel said: “As long as he sticks to the footpaths and doesn’t try to land a helicopter in my sheep field, we’ll get along just fine.
READ MORE: Princess Beatrice’s husband gives £3m Cotswolds home life insight
Upper Fibbingdon-on-the-Green in the Cotswolds. (Image: Newsquest)
“If he fancies sponsoring the village football team while he’s here, even better.”
Local author B.S. Tale added: “We moved here for the tranquillity, not for red carpets and camera crews. I’m sure he’s a nice chap, but I don’t want paparazzi hiding in my hedgerow.”
Mr DiCaprio is expected to take up residence later this year, once discreet security upgrades and interior work are completed at the 14th century castle.
The shocking Oxfordshire news comes after it was announced that Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland has signed for Oxford United in a surprise loan move.
Oxford News
Oxford woman ‘inconsolable’ after alleged rape, jury hears
Armanto Tzourtzi, of Cowley Road, Oxford, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court.
The 24-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and one count of assaulting a female by penetration.
The allegations relate to an incident in the early hours of August 2, 2023.
On Monday, March 30, prosecution barrister Edward Lucas opened the case for the jury.
The jury heard that on the night in question there had been a lock-in at The Cowley Retreat, in Cowley Road, as a leaving party for a member of staff.
Mr Lucas told the jury that both the defendant and the complainant were in attendance.
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Oxford Crown Court (Image: Contributed)
Tzourtzi had been part of a group from The Baron, which is also in Cowley Road.
Mr Lucas said: “She (the complainant) said she was not drunk and had full capacity to make decisions.
“They were speaking and he (Tzourtzi) put his arm round her.”
The jury heard that the lock-in finished at around 3.30am and a group went back to the woman’s flat in Headington.
Everyone except the defendant left the flat at around 4.30am.
Mr Lucas told the jury that this was when the alleged rape took place.
The barrister said: “He was forceful and bit her lip. She didn’t know what he was capable of. He forced her head down to give him oral sex.
“At that stage, she describes her mindset as completely changing
“She gagged and vomited over him. He grabbed her chest area. She told him to stop three times.
“She describes him as being harsh, not gentle. She was crying.”
The jury then heard Tzourtzi allegedly pushed her onto the bed and ‘anally raped’ her.
Mr Lucas said: “She left the room at the first opportunity. She was inconsolable. She told her friend she had been raped.
“She felt confused and was trying to process what happened.”
Police was contacted and Tzourtzi was arrested in Cowley Road. During his police interview, he gave an account to police that the sexual activity was consensual and that she didn’t tell him to stop and didn’t vomit.
Mr Lucas added: “Every person has the right to make a free choice about what sexual activity they consent to.”
In a video recorded interview the woman gave shortly after the incident, she said: “I was drinking, but not to the point that I was drunk and out of control.
“I felt I still had capacity to make decisions.”
The trial continues.
Oxford News
Oxford University welcomes record 3.8 million tourists
Together, Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) welcomed 3,816,898 people in 2025 compared to 3,559,109 in 2024.
This is the highest number of visitors on record and represents a seven per cent increase year-on-year, outperforming ALVA’s UK-wide average figure of two per cent.
GLAM is made up of four museums – the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, History of Science Museum, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and Pitt Rivers Museum, as well as the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, and the Bodleian Libraries.
READ MORE: Stunning waterside cottage up for sale at £2.25m in village
The Ashmolean Museum (Image: Oxford Mail)
Out of 400 organisations which submitted data, four GLAM venues were among ALVA’s top 100 most visited attractions in 2024.
The Ashmolean Museum secured its highest ever ranking at number 31 and is now the most popular visitor attraction in Oxfordshire.
The Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University Museum of Natural History placed 37th and 40th respectively, both equalling their highest ranking.
The Pitt Rivers Museum was 85th following two years of exceptional visitor growth.
Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum ranked at number 188, and the History of Science Museum at 205.
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The Museum of Natural History in Oxford (Image: Nat An)
Richard Ovenden OBE, head of Oxford’s gardens, libraries and museums, said: “This latest increase in ALVA visitor figures not only reflects the popularity of the University’s unique venues and the rich treasures contained in them but also demonstrates how our GLAM teams truly understand how to attract, include, engage and interact with our visitors, whether from our local communities or across the globe.
“With an exciting programme of exhibitions, displays and events scheduled for this year, we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to our gardens, libraries and museums and continue to enjoy sharing the stories behind our collections with them.”
Radiohead held an exhibition at the Ashmolean (Image: Julian Broad/Ashmolean Museum/PA)
In 2025, the Ashmolean Museum held its hugely popular music exhibition, This Is What You Get: Stanley Donwood/Thom Yorke/Radiohead, inspired by the local band.
The Ashmolean’s visitors increased by 14 per cent in 2025 to 1,072,267, its highest figure since 2010 and the first time the Museum has achieved one million visitors since reopening in 2009.
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The Duke Humfrey’s Library in Oxford, one of the Bodleian Libraries. (Image: David Iliff)
The Bodleian Libraries were enjoyed by 929,403 visitors in 2025, up seven per cent on the year.
The History of Science Museum saw a nine per cent boost in visitors through their doors in 2025, totalling 195,002 – a remarkable 31 per cent increase on their pre-pandemic 2019 figure.
The Museum of Natural History greeted 877,437 visitors last year, over 50,000 more visitors than in 2024 and its highest figure ever.
Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum welcomed 222,837, while the Pitt Rivers Museum again broke through the half-million mark first achieved in 2024 by recording 519, 952, a two per cent rise on last year and its highest visitor count ever.
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