The former leader of a Philadelphia chapter of the neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys who stormed the halls of Congress on January 6 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Zachary Rehl, the son and grandson of Philadelphia police officers who used pepper spray against law enforcement outside the US Capitol then lied on the witness stand about it, had called for “firing squads” for “traitors” who wanted to “steal” the 2020 election from Donald Trump. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy earlier this year alongside three other members and allies of the group for their roles in an assault that federal prosecutors said “unleashed a force on the Capitol that was calculated to exert their political will on elected officials by force” to “undo the results of a democratic election.” US District Judge Timothy Kelly determined that Rehl committed perjury during the trial when he denied assaulting anyone. Video evidence appeared to show him using a chemical spray against police as the mob broke through barricades and marched to the Capitol. Rehl’s sentence is among the largest against defendants connected to the attack on the US Capitol during a joint session of Congress as lawmakers convened to certify election results. Joe Biggs, a prominent figure within the Proud Boys who marched to the Capitol alongside Rehl, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on 31 August, now the second longest sentence for a January 6 defendant to date. Judge Kelly also issued that sentence. The sentences for Biggs and Rehl are 15 years below sentencing guidelines and roughly half of what prosecutors have asked in their cases. A jury had convicted both Rehl and Biggs on the treason-related charge of seditious conspiracy as well as conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to use force, intimidation or threats to prevent officers from discharging their duties; interference with law enforcement during civil disorder; and destruction of government property. Sentencing guidelines suggested Rehl could face 30 years to life in prison. Federal prosecutors sought 30 years. Prosecutors also had sought 33 years for Biggs and former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who is scheduled to be sentenced on 5 September. Co-defendants Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola will be sentenced on 1 September. Proud Boys emerged as what one former member called the “foot soldiers of the right” using the guise of male-dominated drinking clubs to wield threats and physical violence against political enemies, particularly antifascist organizers, while rallying against LGBT+ people and employing white nationalist and antisemitic tropes. “They turned that vigilantism from antifa to law enforcement and the government itself,” Assistant US Attorney Erik Kenerson told Judge Kelly. “Mr Rehl embraced that vigilantism, and he eventually used it to try to impose his vision of America by force.” Pennsylvania-area Proud Boys played an outsized role in the attack, from planning in group chats to joining the mob that breached barricades and broke into the Capitol on 6 January, 2021. In messages on social media, Rehl called for “firing squads for the traitors that are trying to steal the election.” “F*** ‘em, storm the Capitol,” Rehl shouted into a video he recorded moments after breaching a police line. Minutes later, video captures him firing what appears to be chemical spray towards officers in his path. Pezzola seized a riot shield from an officer and used it to break a window, through which the first members of the mob entered the Capitol, according to an indictment. Once inside, Rehl posed for selfies with other members of the Philadelphia Proud Boys chapter and smoked cigarettes as rioters broke into the office of Democratic US Senator Jeff Merkley. “Looking back, it sucked,” Rehl wrote in a message to Philadelphia chapter members the day after the attack. “We should have held the Capitol … Everyone shoulda showed up armed and took the country back the right way.” During the trial, Rehl expressed regret for his actions that day, admitting that he felt much differently about the assault in the months that followed than he did in its immediate aftermath as he celebrated with other Proud Boys. At his sentencing hearing, he broke down in tears, pointing to the baseless narrative of election fraud and manipulation that fuelled the attack in the first place, and apologizing to his family who suffered in its wake. “Politicians spread lies about elections,” he said. “I fell for it hook, line and sinker … It cost me everything.” Read More Proud Boy Joe Biggs sentenced to 17 years in prison for Jan 6 seditious conspiracy Who is Enrique Tarrio? Ex-Proud Boys leader faces longest prison sentence yet for January 6 ‘Donald Trump’s army’: Proud Boys members face decades in prison for January 6 sedition

Amy Dowden has shared an update on her hair loss after announcing she has breast cancer. The professional dancer, who is best known for appearing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2017, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. The dancer told fans that she underwent a single mastectomy after she was first diagnosed in May. Last month, however, she was told by doctors that she needed to undergo chemotherapy after further tumours were discovered following the surgery. Dowden, 33, has been keeping her fans updated as she navigates the treatment. In her latest update, shared on Wednesday (23 August), the dancer revealed she has been experiencing hair loss and was finding it “so hard”. Telling fans she had returned home after receiving treatment in the hospital, Dowden shared a picture as she held a clump of her hair, writing: “Welcome home,” with a series of broken heart emojis. She added: “So much everyday! So hard! One day at a time!” In a previous post, Dowden shared a video of her hair that had fallen out, writing: “The reality when I gentle comb,” with a broken heart emoji. Dowden told fans in a separate post that she had some blood clots but was “feeling good” following the treatment. “And I’m going home to my own bed,” she told fans. “Thanks again to the marvellous NHS! Got some blood clots but I’m feeling good other than a sore and swollen arm. Another hurdle along this journey. But again forever grateful to the nhs and my heroes around me.” Earlier this month, Dowden showed her followers the bespoke wig she had made to deal with her ongoing hair loss. Both Dowden and the owner of Be Unique Wigs by Charlotte shared a screenshot of their messages to Instagram, as Dowden thanked her for making the wig. Charlotte, the wigmaker, wrote: “I’ve been working on a wig for the beautiful @amy_dowden and just received this lovely message from her! “I love her,” wrote Dowden in the messages, asking if she could order another one. “Thank you so so so very much.” The wigmaker said in an Instagram post that it was an “honour” to make the wig for the Strictly professional. “I’m hoping it will give you some comfort in a difficult time, I’ve said many times on here... it’s not just hair!” she said. “Losing your hair can make such a difference to your confidence. It’s almost like losing part of your identity,” Charlotte added. After announcing her diagnosis earlier this year, Dowden told fans that she would not be able to dance in a competitive capacity on this year’s season of Strictly. “This year, it means I’m not going to be able to dance with a celebrity on Strictly, but I’m in such regular contact with the team – the BBC have just been utterly incredible,” she wrote in a post on social media last month. “The rest of the year looked very different to what was planned but hopefully I’ll enter 2024 cancer free and I’ll never take anything for granted and promise to live life to the full.” Dowden joined Strictly in 2017, and has competed in every series since, reaching the final in 2019 with kids’ TV presenter Karim Zeroual. Read More Former royal chef explains why Prince William and Kate’s children don’t eat with them Barbie drooling over Darcy? Why we still ardently love the BBC’s 1995 Pride & Prejudice Prince Harry to return to UK on eve of Queen’s death anniversary for charity event Amy Dowden shares pictures of new wig amid chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer How to help your teen with comparison culture on GCSE results day Women more severely affected by ME, study claims

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A former kids' TV star has opened up about his surprising journey from beloved Disney “geek” to top X-rated OnlyFans creator. Dan Benson, 35, soared to after-school popularity thanks to ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ where he played the loveable character Zeke Beckerman from 2007 to 2012. However, over the years, Benson’s career took an unexpected turn, from children’s TV comedy to the world of online porn. In an interview with PageSix, he explained how he made the surprising leap into the adult industry after nude photos of him were leaked online. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He revealed that he had been chatting to someone over the internet for a “period of a year or more” and ended up sending them explicit images of himself. “It was months and months later that I found out that those nude photos had leaked online, and that there [are] now websites that are selling those pictures and videos,” he said. He insisted that he’d tried hard to get the photos removed – particularly given that he was an actor on a popular kids' show at the time so was “fully aware of the ramifications” – but eventually accepted that there was “no fighting this”. As a result of the leaked footage, he built up a wide social media following from what he described as a “very specific audience”, who would write “lewd comments” on his Instagram posts. “When the OnlyFans thing exploded, in the back of my mind I kind of knew that the audience for that content [...] was already there for me,” he went on. The 35-year-old stressed that he didn’t just “randomly” decide one day that he wanted to do porn, he just realised that he had “built [a] massive audience for it”, which he then decided to embrace. Benson said that he thought that the OnlyFans “experience” is “different” and more “profound” to other forms of adult entertainment because creators are able to form “intimate connections” with their viewers. “A lot of the people that subscribe to my page grew up watching me and then have this intimate connection with me,” he explained. He went on: “I get messages all the time from people that say, ‘Hey, you were actually my gay awakening. “First of all, that’s super flattering for me, that’s incredibly endearing and awesome. And [it] is funny to me because Zeke was, like, the dorky, goofy character on ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ So I’m like, it’s shocking to me, but I think that’s cool.” @danleebenson Let’s watch my favorite Zeke moment ever in Wizards of Waverly Place! #disney #disneychannel #wizardsofwaverlyplace #disneychannelthrowbacks #zeke Despite acknowledging that “99 per cent” of his OnlyFans subscribers are gay men, Benson emphasised that he’s tried to be “completely open and honest” about the fact that he’s straight. “I'm not going to have sex with men on camera because everyone wants to see it,” he clarified. “I don't want to look back in 10 years and go, ‘OK I made all this money, I got all this fame because of this, but goddammit, I was doing all these things that made me feel uncomfortable just for that.” Benson has been vocal in his support for the LGBTQ+ community and, last month, he announced that he wanted to use his OnlyFans presence to champion its causes. Alongside a smouldering photo of himself, he tweeted: Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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