Five things that got people talking in Liverpool this week - child star murderer, pancakes and Gino D’Acampo’s one star

In our weekly feature, LiverpoolWorld editor Dominic Raynor and video journalist Emily Bonner discuss some of the headlines which have stood out over the last week.

🚨 Former child star sentenced to life in prison - A man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years for the murder of Learoy Venner. Kevin Spaine, 43, of no fixed abode, fatally assaulted Learoy, with a Post Mortem finding that 53-year-old received "multiple forceful blows", causing a brain injury. During sentencing, the court was told Spaine was the boy who uttered the famous words ‘Accrington Stanley! Who are they?’ in the 1980s milk advert, before being enveloped in a life of crime. Read more here

🪧Paramedics take to the picket line - Around 2,000 ambulance workers across the North West walked out on Monday in a dispute over pay. Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff across the region participated in a 24-hour walkout. More strikes are planned. Read more here

⭐ Celebrity chef's restaurant shocking hygiene rating - Out-of-date meat and poor cleaning led to Gino D'Acampo's Liverpool restaurant being slapped with a one out of five hygiene rating. A spokesperson said: "A re-inspection has already been invited, and we are confident of seeing a return to higher scores in line with our sibling restaurants." Read more here

🇺🇦 Eurovision hosts announced - The hosts for this year's Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The competition will be held this May in Liverpool on behalf of the 2022 winners, Ukraine. Chosen for its warmth, vibrancy and rich musical heritage, the city of Liverpool was selected to be the host city for the 67th Contest.

Presenting the Grand Final to a global audience of 160 million will be Eurovision legend Graham Norton, Ukrainian singer, composer and frontwoman of The HARDKISS alternative band Julia Sanina, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, and singer-songwriter Alesha Dixon. Read more here

🥞 Annual pancake day race - Liverpool's traditional Pancake Day race, pitting the city's top chefs against each other to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, has returned once again. Held in the gardens of Liverpool Parish Church, the annual race is designed to see how the city's top chefs stack up, as they have to complete laps of the garden whilst flipping a pancake. Alex Hopkins from Lunya was victorious for a second year on the run. Read more here