A neighbour of a woman alleged to have been tied up and murdered said he heard moaning and the sound of a head hitting a wall on the day she died.

Michael Davenport told jurors at Warwick Crown Court the sounds appeared to be coming from the bathroom where Bethany Hill's body was found.
It is alleged Miss Hill, 20, was killed by Jack Williams and his girlfriend, Kayleigh Woods, at the flat they all shared in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The pair both deny murder.
See more stories from across Coventry and Warwickshire here
Mr Davenport told the court there had been terrible anti-social behaviour at the one-bedroom flat occupied by Mr Williams, 21, and Ms Woods, 23.
Jurors heard he made five recordings between 01:30 and 03:00 GMT on 3 February last year to pass on to the housing association, which ran the block of flats on Hertford Road.
Describing events after he was woken by a loud bang at about 01:30, Mr Davenport said he heard "what I thought was something hitting a wall".
"It sounded like a head or something hitting a wall," he said.
During the third recording, which began at 02:21 and lasted for 15 minutes, he said he heard the sound of a female moaning.
"It basically sounded as if somebody was in distress," he said.
Mr Davenport, who also told the court he had heard a cutlery drawer being opened and closed aggressively, was cross-examined by Michael Duck QC, who is defending Mr Williams.
Asked why he had not dialled 999, Mr Davenport added: "I thought somebody had fallen or they were drunk."
The court was told Miss Hill died of a neck wound inflicted with a blade that was later found dumped in a river.
The trial continues.


Two events have been held in Birmingham to remember the 141 people, mostly children, killed in a Taliban attack at a school in Pakistan.

A prayer service was held at Birmingham Central Mosque and about 80 to 100 people gathered in the city centre for a candlelight vigil.
Shah Jehan from Wolverhampton, said it was "the darkest moment in my life" when he learnt his cousins were dead.
Vigil organiser Zakir Gul told the crowd that the attack was "barbaric".
The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) have admitted carrying out the shootings against the Army Public School to avenge army-led operations against them in the Khyber and North Waziristan areas.
Mr Jehan, also a former pupil of the school, told BBC News he could not sleep last night after hearing the news about 10-year-old Saif and nine-year-old Noor.
"You send your children to school to become something, to gain knowledge and to be something in the future, you don't send them to be sent back home in a shroud," he said.
Mr Gul, who is studying at Oxford University, said he and other students decided to get together to organise the vigil to show solidarity against the Taliban and because Birmingham had such a large Asian community.
"We want to show we are against the the barbarism... to voice our anger at the Taliban, the government and the corruption.
"It's disgusting to disregard what's happened.. this affects all of us.
"It's amazing that Pakistan and non-Pakistan people can show solidarity like this against the Taliban."
Shabaz Suheil, 20, who is from Lahore in Pakistan but studying at Aston University, said he wanted to see more accountability in his native country.
"It's good to show solidarity and that we care about them but in reality there are bigger problems to be sorted.
"We want accountability with the authorities - it was an Army school, it was the Army's responsibility to take care of them."


A former Plaid Cymru leader has criticised his party's main general election demand that Wales should be treated in the same way as Scotland.

Lord Elis-Thomas told the Western Mail newspaper the campaign did not appear to focus on Wales' future.
He also said that arguing people should vote Plaid "because we're more Welsh" was "arrogant" and a "bit sectarian".
Lord Elis-Thomas insisted that all parties contesting assembly elections were "part of the politics of Wales".
During the election campaign, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said that only her party could ensure Wales received equal treatment with Scotland in terms of funding and powers.
A key Plaid demand was that Wales should receive an extra Â£1.2bn a year from UK ministers, to achieve financial parity with Scotland.
On polling day in May, the party held its three seats, but failed to gain targets such as Ynys Mon and Ceredigion.
Lord Elis-Thomas, a former assembly presiding officer, told the newspaper: "Clearly the campaign did not seem to be focused on an argument about where Wales needs to be going in terms of powers and its future development, and it tended to concentrate mainly on drawing comparisons with Scotland.
"Scotland is another country, in all senses. It's politically different. The people of Wales understand that."
And he said he did not think it was "helpful" to insist Wales be treated like a nation that was "over resourced in comparative terms in the UK".
Lord Elis-Thomas said he was not sure his party had "learned the lessons of what it means to be operating in a government and a national assembly of its own".
He said it was "not about saying that our party has to be voted for because we're more Welsh than the others".
"All the parties that contest elections in the national assembly are obviously Welsh parties. They are part of the politics of Wales."
To argue otherwise was "arrogant and it's a bit sectarian", Lord Elis-Thomas added.


Jose Mourinho made a winning Premier League start as Manchester United manager with a comprehensive opening victory at Bournemouth.

Juan Mata, who was substituted after coming on in last week's Community Shield, opened the scoring with a tap-in after Simon Francis' error.
Wayne Rooney headed the second before Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his United league debut with a goal from 25 yards.
Adam Smith scored a consolation goal for the Cherries.
United were without world-record £89m signing Paul Pogba through suspension, while midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan started on the bench, with Mata preferred.
Relive the action from Vitality Stadium
As starts go, this was a highly satisfactory day for United - the Mourinho era began with a solid victory at a ground where they came unstuck under Louis van Gaal last season.
United started slowly and did not register a shot on target until a Rooney effort produced a comfortable save from Artur Boruc in the 27th minute.
Yet it was job done once the visitors opened the scoring with a messy goal and added two more in the space of five second-half minutes to put them in a commanding position.
Mata looked unhappy when he was replaced 30 minutes after coming on at Wembley against Leicester last Sunday but the Spaniard was all smiles as he got Mourinho's reign up and running.
Boruc made a fine block from Mata after Francis' under-hit back-pass but the rebound bounced off Francis into the former Chelsea player's path and he tapped home.
United's second goal was also down to some good fortune - Rooney was well positioned to head home after Anthony Martial's mis-hit shot fell perfectly for his captain.
Ibrahimovic was denied by a one-handed Boruc save but the Swede made it 3-0 with a drilled low finish from outside the area to leave Mourinho smiling.
Ibrahimovic continued his remarkable record of marking debuts with a goal.
The 34-year-old Swede has now scored on his first league starts in England, Italy, Spain and France, and in the Champions League.
Any concerns the frenetic pace in English football's top-flight might not suit Ibrahimovic were dispelled with his well-executed finish to follow a goal at Wembley last week.
It was his third goal in total for his new club after scoring on his first appearance in a United shirt in a friendly against Galatasaray as well as the winner in the Community Shield against Leicester.
Mourinho's oldest signing of the summer could turn out to be his shrewdest.
Bournemouth:
Jordon Ibe - Bournemouth's club-record £15m signing from Liverpool looked a threat coming in off the right and driving through the middle. He also had a goal-bound shot blocked after twisting and turning inside the United area.
Lewis Cook - The 19-year-old midfield signing from Leeds United did not lack confidence and showed enough promise to suggest he could be a success in the Premier League.
Manchester United:
Eric Bailly - Solid league debut and made his presence felt very early on with a no-nonsense challenge on Joshua King. A commanding presence in defence.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Took a while to get going but, when he did, the former Paris St-Germain striker made an impact. Ibrahimovic was not afraid to go in where it hurts and was involved in an early clash of heads with Simon Francis while attempting to connect with Antonio Valencia's cross.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Came on for the final 15 minutes with the points in the bag. Replaced Juan Mata, who surprisingly started in place of the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
Eddie Howe has been one of the busiest top-flight managers in the transfer market this summer, having brought in six major signings.
And while the Cherries made it hard for United in the first half before Francis' error, they were exposed by ruthless opponents after the break.
There is still work for Howe to do on his team and his next addition looks like being Marc Wilson, the Stoke City defender, for £2m.
Bournemouth conceded 67 goals last season - more than relegated Newcastle - and they needed Boruc at his best to keep United from a more handsome win.
That needs addressing if Bournemouth, who scored when Smith found the top corner from 16 yards, are to stay out of the bottom three this season.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "It was an even game until the first goal. You can't give Manchester United goals which we did.
"Credit to our boys. We kept fighting away and got the goal back and ended the game very strongly.
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"I thought Jordon [Ibe] did well in flashes and showed what he is going to bring to us. He is a really exciting talent and there is more to come from him."
8: Only Alan Shearer and Frank Lampard (8) have scored more opening day Premier League goals than Wayne Rooney (7).
1: Juan Mata scored his first Premier League goal under the management of Jose Mourinho (no goals in 13 Premier League games for Chelsea in 2013-14, before leaving for Manchester United).
0: Jose Mourinho has never lost an opening day fixture in the Premier League (W7 D1).
11: Bournemouth have now gone 11 Premier League games without keeping a clean sheet.
Bournemouth look to bounce back when they provide the opposition for West Ham's first Premier League game at London Stadium on 21 August (16:00 BST). United welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Friday.(20:00 BST).
Match ends, Bournemouth 1, Manchester United 3.
Second Half ends, Bournemouth 1, Manchester United 3.
Attempt saved. Max Gradel (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Adam Smith (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Benik Afobe.
Corner,  Bournemouth. Conceded by David de Gea.
Attempt saved. Andrew Surman (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Joshua King.
Corner,  Bournemouth. Conceded by Marouane Fellaini.
Corner,  Bournemouth. Conceded by Marouane Fellaini.
Attempt blocked. Joshua King (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Charlie Daniels with a cross.
Offside, Manchester United. Ander Herrera tries a through ball, but Memphis Depay is caught offside.
Substitution, Manchester United. Memphis Depay replaces Wayne Rooney.
Offside, Manchester United. Ander Herrera tries a through ball, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan is caught offside.
Foul by Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United).
Steve Cook (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Ander Herrera (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Ander Herrera (Manchester United).
Joshua King (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Manchester United. Morgan Schneiderlin replaces Anthony Martial.
Foul by Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Bournemouth. Max Gradel replaces Lewis Cook.
Foul by Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).
Steve Cook (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United).
Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Bournemouth. Lewis Cook tries a through ball, but Benik Afobe is caught offside.
Substitution, Manchester United. Henrikh Mkhitaryan replaces Juan Mata.
Offside, Bournemouth. Charlie Daniels tries a through ball, but Benik Afobe is caught offside.
Juan Mata (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joshua King (Bournemouth).
Goal!  Bournemouth 1, Manchester United 3. Adam Smith (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Lewis Grabban.
Substitution, Bournemouth. Benik Afobe replaces Jordon Ibe.
Substitution, Bournemouth. Lewis Grabban replaces Callum Wilson.
Attempt blocked. Anthony Martial (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Goal!  Bournemouth 0, Manchester United 3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Anthony Martial.
Attempt saved. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Anthony Martial (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andrew Surman (Bournemouth).


England and Saracens number eight Billy Vunipola has withdrawn from the Lions tour to New Zealand with a shoulder injury.

The 24-year-old, who has 34 England caps, had been managing the injury but it now requires further treatment.
He has been replaced by Wasps back row James Haskell, who will join the squad after the Premiership final on 27 May.
"We really appreciate Billy's honesty in making this decision," Lions head coach Warren Gatland said.
Vunipola returned to the international setup in March for the Six Nations after a four-month lay off with a knee injury.
He played for Saracens in their Premiership semi-final defeat by Exeter on Saturday and appeared to be in pain during the match, receiving medical treatment on a couple of occasions.
"Billy has been carrying an injury and feels he wouldn't be able to contribute fully to the Tour and needs further medical treatment," Gatland added.
"We have called up James to the squad and look forward to welcoming him into camp before we depart."
The Lions play their first match of the New Zealand tour on 3 June.
Scrum-half Ben Youngs withdrew from the Lions squad at the start of May after his brother's wife learned that she is terminally ill.
BBC rugby union reporter Chris Jones
This is potentially as serious an injury blow as the Lions could have suffered.
Man of the match in the recent Champions Cup final against Clermont, a fully fit and in-form Vunipola would have walked into the Lions Test team.
James Haskell is deserving of his call-up - while in Taulupe Faletau there is a classy operator at number eight - but for the Lions to somehow beat New Zealand, they can ill-afford injury setbacks such as this.


Two suicide bombers and a gunman have killed four people in an attack on a hotel in North Sinai, Egyptian officials say.

The attackers, who targeted the Swiss Inn hotel in provincial capital el-Arish, were all killed, they said.
Guards fired on an explosives-laden car, which blew up. But two attackers entered the hotel, killing a judge.
So-called Islamic State's local affiliate, Sinai Province, said it carried out the attack.
Twelve people were also wounded in the incident, a military statement said.
The three-pronged assault saw a car laden with explosives approach the entrance. Security guards opened fire and the vehicle blew up.
Separately two attackers entered the building, One detonated a suicide vest in the kitchen while the other opened fire in a room, killing the judge.
Judges who had been overseeing the second round of parliamentary elections in the area were among the guests in the heavily guarded hotel.
A military statement read: "This brutal incident is a failed attempt to hinder the state from building its institution but we assure all that it will increase the drive and insistence of the armed forces and the Interior Ministry to weed out the roots of terrorism in North Sinai."
Last month a Russian A321 airliner crashed in Sinai killing all 224 people on board. Russia said traces of explosives were found and called it an act of terror.
Sinai Province said in a statement on 31 October that it had destroyed the plane because of Russian air strikes in Syria.
Militants have been fighting the government for years in Sinai but the insurgency has increased since the removal of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.


Thousands of civilian police staff in England and Wales are set to strike on 23 January in a row over pay, Unison has said.

The union's members, including police community support officers, are unhappy with a 1% pay rise offer, and are calling for a 3% wage increase.
Up to 30,000 of Unison's members could be involved in the strike.
The dispute also involves 999 call takers, scenes of crime officers and fingerprint experts.
In December Unison suspended a planned strike to allow for further talks between the union and employers, but deadlock remains.
The union said police staff have faced a pay freeze or below inflation pay rises for the past three years.
Unison national officer Ben Priestley described industrial action as a "last resort", and said he was "hopeful" the dispute would be resolved and a strike avoided.
"The rules around industrial action mean we have had to call another strike day to ensure we are still able to take strike action should the talks break down," he added.
When Unison members were balloted for strike action last year 60% voted in favour.


A dog was found buried alive with a nail in its head in Teesside in what the RSPCA has described as a "horrifying, cruel act".

A couple walking in Kirkleatham Woods, Redcar, heard whimpering and found the terrier-type animal in a mound of earth at about midday.
It was rushed to a vet but its injuries were so serious it had to be put down.
The RSPCA said more than one person would have been involved.
Inspector Nick Jones said:  "In all my ten years working for the RSPCA, I have never known anything so horrifying and inexplicably cruel.
"It's likely more than one person was involved due to the force needed to inflict such an attack."
The dog was a white, scruffy-looking terrier type with a curly coat - possibly a Jack Russell or West Highland Terrier cross-breed - aged about seven years old.
Anyone with information is urged to come forward.


Derry City had to settle for a point against Galway United as Monday's Premier Division game at Eamonn Deacy Park ended without a goal.

The big talking point of the first half involved Derry keeper Ger Doherty who handled out his area when Galway's Padriag Cunningham broke through.
Galway protested that Doherty should have been sent off but Robert Hennessy produced a yellow card.
The point was enough to lift Galway off the bottom of the table.
Derry, who have won just once in their last eight league matches, remain fourth in the table.


It may be more than a week until Halloween, but Saturday's EFL programme became a sports reporter's nightmare after five late winners in the Championship alone.

Add to that a man who has scored more goals than three of the top flight's best strikers put together, along with League One fans protesting from the air, and the end of a 1,521-day wait for a goal.
Here are five stories you may have missed from the EFL.
Never mind Sergio Aguero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Alexis Sanchez, if you want a cast-iron goal machine just give Scunthorpe's Josh Morris a call.
The 25-year-old scored his 13th league goal of the season - the same number as those three rather better-paid Premier League stars just mentioned have netted between them, as League One leaders the Iron brushed aside Chesterfield 3-0.
He has actually got 14 so far this season - chipping in with one as Scunthorpe lost to Bristol City in the EFL Cup in August. At this rate Morris could be on for 40 or more come the end of the season.
Ask any sports reporter what they want from a match report, and it would probably be a few goals and for it all to be wrapped up around 15 minutes from full time - allowing them to get their carefully constructed prose back to the office 'on the whistle'.
Late goals - especially late winners - are frowned upon.
So the signs were good when Ayoze Perez struck the fastest goal in the Championship this season as he gave Newcastle the lead against Ipswich after 60 seconds.
But then came the journalist's nightmare - after 67 minutes of play there had been just two more goals in the entire division - and then it all changed.
Alex Baptiste (75th-minute winner for Preston), Jonathan Kodjia (80th-minute winner for Aston Villa), Paul McShane (86th-minute winner for Reading), Aaron Wilbraham (88th-minute winner for Bristol City) and Elias Kachunga (93rd-minute winner for Huddersfield) all led to late rewrites for hacks up and down the land.
If Josh Morris is a goal machine, Ryan Taylor would have been said to be the complete opposite.
The former Wigan, Newcastle and Hull City defender signed for Port Vale on Friday, having been a free agent since his release by the Tigers in the summer.
The 32-year-old had not scored since equalising for Newcastle against Greek side Atromitos in the Europa League in August 2012, so it is doubtful many of those at Vale's game with Oxford United in the third tier had him down as being one of their favourites to hit the back of the net.
But after Oxford's Curtis Nelson fouled Rigino Cicilia in the area after an hour, up stepped Taylor to make it 2-2 - and end his 1,521-day wait for a goal.
Last week it was plastic pigs on the pitch. It's also been beach balls, balloons, pitch invasions, T-shirts, marches. Charlton fans have tried everything to get their much-disliked owner Roland Duchatelet and chief executive Katrien Meire to leave the club.
So for their trip to Gillingham, Addicks fans tried a new tactic - going airborne. A plane trailing a banner saying 'Duchatelet and Meire #timetofly' was seen over the Priestfield Stadium.
Whether the aerial protest has the desired effect seems rather doubtful, but at least the travelling fans had something to cheer about on the pitch, as Nicky Ajose's last-gasp penalty saw them earn a late 1-1 draw - and another late rewrite for the scribes.
Griffin Park's celebratory atmosphere to mark Brentford playing in the league for a 4,000th time saw out-of-form Barnsley become party poopers.
Singers, former Bees legends such as Ijah Anderson, Bob Booker and Marcus Gayle, mascots and fans of all ages were there to celebrate the history of the club that was first elected to the old Division Three South in 1920.
Sadly for the 10,417 inside the historic west London ground, Barnsley, who had not won in their eight previous matches, ran out 2-0 winners.
Adam Armstrong and Sam Winnall's goals ensured they will not be invited back for anything celebratory any time soon.
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McLaren driver Jenson Button has declined to say whether he wants to stay in Formula 1 next season.

Briton Button is out of contract at the end of the year and McLaren are likely to promote their reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne in his place.
The 2009 world champion, 36, was asked by BBC Radio 5 live whether he still enjoyed F1 and wanted to continue.
He replied: "At this moment in time, I am loving it. The second part of your question, I can't answer."
Button said that he "hadn't thought about" his future, adding: "I keep getting asked the question. I'm living in the moment."
McLaren have Button's team-mate Fernando Alonso under contract for 2017 and have not yet made a final decision on who will partner the Spaniard.
But the team are said to be strongly leaning towards Belgian Vandoorne, on whom chairman Ron Dennis issued what amounted to a "hands-off warning" to other teams at the Monaco race two weeks ago.
However, the situation could swing in Button's favour if the team land a major sponsor which insists on his presence as a result of his high marketing appeal.
McLaren are not Button's only hope of staying in F1.
Williams, where he started his career in 2000, are known to be interested in him as a replacement for Brazilian Felipe Massa, who is likely to be dropped.
Button said he was hoping for a respectable weekend for McLaren at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
Alonso scored the team's best result of the season so far with fifth in Monaco, but the team were generally not as competitive as they had hoped.
On paper, Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve should not be a good track for the team given the importance of engine power here.
The Honda engine used by McLaren is the least powerful in F1, but the team has a new turbo, which increases the efficiency of the engine's hybrid system, and new fuel.
Button said that, in tandem with some specific qualities of the car, it should mean McLaren are in reasonable shape.
"We expected to be more competitive in Monaco and I think it's an efficiency thing," he said.
"We don't have massive downforce, but we have efficient downforce. We also have very good braking, so here I don't think it will be too bad."


It is hard to imagine having to leave home, drop everything and flee to another country for your own safety - but that is a grim reality that millions of people across the world have faced and more continue to experience.

Things do not get easier when a refugee arrives in a new country, possibly thousands of miles from family and friends.
There can be language barriers, a lack of education or employment prospects and many women refugees face the added problem of raising their children in a new landscape, sometimes with very little support.
Those were among the issues that women refugees in Belfast raised on Saturday, at the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (NICRAS) women's integration project round-table.
It was an opportunity for people to come along and hear some of the incredible, and also harrowing, stories of women who are trying to make a new life for themselves in Belfast - and the daily struggles they encounter.
Yosra, from Iraq, is 29 years old. She and her husband were doctors in Baghdad and had to leave their home after he received a death threat from an extremist group.
She has been living in Belfast for 11 months and said she has found it "very difficult" to adapt.
"The most difficult thing is that we had to leave our jobs," she said.
"We came here to start from zero. In our country, we have strong family bonds. Here, we are alone."
Yosra added that she has found it easy to make friendships since arriving with her husband and son. They are also expecting another child.
"The people have been very kind, and I feel much better because of their support and advice."
Latoya came to Northern Ireland from Zimbabwe in 2013, with no family, no friends and no qualifications - but she said she always had hope for a new start.
"I'm trying to do my English and Maths GCSES, and I've also started at Belfast Metropolitan College, where I'm doing a level 3 personal training and fitness instructor course," she said.
However, despite Latoya's determination to get a good education, it has not always been easy.
"I don't have anyone," she said.
"I came on my own, and the heart-breaking thing about it is that I don't know how to get in contact with my mum, or my family back home."
Asked if she thinks she will ever return to Zimbabwe; Latoya's reply is matter-of-fact but very sad.
"I wish to be with family, but even if I was to go back home what would I be going to?" she said, "If I arrived at the airport they'd kill me straight, that's how it is, I ran away in fear for my life."
Kanyesa, who is also originally from Zimbabwe and arrived in Belfast three years ago, said her experiences here have been mainly positive.
"At times like now, at Christmas, it's very hard, but it is great," she said.
"I'm still learning, my English is getting better - I'm still adapting to Irish stew too, my kids love it."
Kanyesa added that while her home is now in Northern Ireland and that her children love living here, she makes a conscious effort to share her Zimbabwean culture with people in Northern Ireland.
"I share it with my neighbours, who are great, and my culture is a big part of who I am," she said.
Out of all the women I spoke to, Mimi has been living in Northern Ireland for the longest period of time. She arrived in January 2009 from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"In the beginning, it was so difficult for me, life was so horrible," she admitted.
"Coming into this situation is not an easy life, I spoke no English - just 'Hi, how are you'. Basic phrases only."
Mimi said the last seven years have brought their challenges, but today, she has a vastly different outlook than when she first arrived, alone and scared.
"Northern Ireland for me looks like home - I love it.
"I'm not sure if today I could go back to my home country, now Northern Ireland is home for me."


A new all-island children's heart surgery network is to benefit from £42m worth of investment.

The funding was revealed on Monday at the opening of a new hybrid cardiac catheterisation laboratory at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Dublin.
In the future, children from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will all receive treatment there.
Children's heart surgery services at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) ceased in 2015.
The move followed a 2012 review, commissioned by health ministers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which revealed that services at the RVH were not sustainable, with many operations taking place in either England or Dublin.
Speaking at the opening of the new centre in Dublin, Northern Ireland's health minister, Michelle O'Neill, said children would be able to receive post and pre-operative care in Belfast.
She said: "The Congenital Heart Disease Network is a great initiative that benefits all of Ireland.
"I want to continue with positive all-Ireland approaches to health and social care and address the uncertainties and challenges that now exist as a result of the recent EU referendum."
The £42m investment includes contributions from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland health departments, £1m of which will enhance existing facilities in Belfast.
In a statement from the Department of Health, a spokesperson said the phased implementation of the transfer of all urgent surgical cases from Northern Ireland to the new Dublin centre should be complete by the end of 2017, with all elective surgical cases transferred by the end of 2018.
Irish health minister, Simon Harris said:  "This unique collaboration is the first formally established all-island network for clinical care and I look forward to working with minister O'Neill and her department to identify further opportunities for collaboration into the future."


Arsenal "collapsed" in a "nightmare" Champions League last-16 first-leg hammering at German champions Bayern Munich, says manager Arsene Wenger.

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The Gunners were beaten 5-1 at the Allianz Arena, conceding four second-half goals after losing defender and captain Laurent Koscielny to injury.
The Premier League side will now almost certainly go out in the first knockout round for a seventh straight season.
"It's difficult to explain," Frenchman Wenger told BT Sport.
"Just before half-time we had two good chances to score. We came back and played well.
"In the second half we lost Koscielny very quickly - he came off at 1-1 - and finally we collapsed. Bayern are a better team than us as well.
"The third goal was a killer for our players because after that we had no response."
Arjen Robben fired Bayern into the lead, but Arsenal fought back and equalised when Alexis Sanchez followed up and finished his own saved penalty.
However, in the second half the Gunners capitulated, as Bayern excelled in a 10-minute period during which Robert Lewandowski restored Bayern's lead before Thiago Alcantara scored twice.
Substitute Thomas Muller scored late on to surely put the tie beyond the Gunners.
"The real problems were after the third goal," Wenger added.
"We lost our organisation and we looked mentally jaded and vulnerable from that moment onwards. The last 25 minutes was a nightmare for us."
Asked if Arsenal require "miracles" to now progress, the 67-year-old replied: "Of course."
The Frenchman fielded only three questions in his official post-match interview, which lasted less than three minutes.
3+ - The number of goals conceded by Arsenal in four of their last six first-leg matches in the last 16 of the Champions League.
4 - This is the first time that Arsenal have conceded four goals in a single half since against Chelsea in March 2014.
5 - This is the most goals that Arsenal have conceded in a first leg of Champions League knockout match.
8 - Bayern have scored eight goals in their last two Champions League games against Arsenal.
25.8 - The percentage of possession Arsenal had during Wednesday's first leg at the Allianz Arena.
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Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti has been under a little pressure despite his side sitting seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Wednesday's result saw them break a Champions League record as they sealed their 16th consecutive home win.
But the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss refused to say the tie was over before the return leg at Emirates Stadium on 7 March.
"The performance was good," said the Italian, who has won the Champions League three times as a manager.
"We played really well, but it's not the final. We need to play the second game unfortunately.
"The result is really important, but we don't want to make a mistake. We have an advantage but we have to prepare for the next game in London.
"We want to play like we did tonight - same intensity, same spirit, same concentration. We want to avoid problems."


The average cost of a cremation in Northern Ireland has increased by 82% in the last five years, but it still the least expensive service in the UK.

The price rise was revealed after the BBC submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to local authorities that run crematoriums across the UK.
The average cost of a cremation at Roselawn crematorium, run by Belfast City Council, was £198 five years ago.
This year the price rose to £360, but is still the cheapest by some distance.
In comparison, a cremation in the London borough of Hackney will cost more than £1,000.
The average price of an adult cremation in the UK has risen by a third over the last five years and now stands at £640, according to the data.
The City of Belfast Crematorium, based at Roselawn Cemetery at Crossnacreevy, just outside the city, provides cremation services for people from all over Northern Ireland.
According to the FOI responses, Roselawn recorded the second highest price rise of all the UK crematoriums surveyed across the five year period.
The highest price hike was in Barrow-in-Furness, England, where cremation costs increased by 101% and now stand at an average of £721.


A UK exit from the EU would create uncertainty about the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, an Irish diplomat has said.

Dan Mulhall was giving evidence on a so-called Brexit to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.
Mr Mulhall is the Irish ambassador in London.
He said a UK withdrawal could led to "some kind of customs controls which would be a negative development for both populations and economies."
Mr Mulhall told MPs that the Republic of Ireland wanted to "preserve the advantages" of its existing trade relationship with the UK, which he said was worth 65bn euros (Â£50.3m) last year and supported 200,000 jobs in each of the two countries.
"We have a very good set-up, never better than it is today, and we do not want to see anything cut across that," he said
He told MPs that Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny does not believe a Brexit poses a threat to the peace process.
"He was talking about improved British-Irish relations which have developed. If you remove Northern Ireland from the EU it does make a difference," he said.


Thousands of German troops have been sent to help flood-hit regions as rising rivers threaten more cities.

Surging waters that have already caused extensive damage across central Europe are moving north and east along rivers including the Elbe and Danube.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has visited areas already hit by the deluge and promised 100m euros (Â£78m; $130m) in emergency aid.
Meanwhile river levels in the Czech capital Prague have begun to fall.
Large areas of suburban Prague were flooded but metal barriers protecting the historic city centre held as the floods peaked and the high waters moved north towards Germany.
Around 4,000 German troops have been deployed in four states, the military said, reinforcing dykes with sandbags and providing help to thousands of people forced to leave their homes.
By Stephen EvansBBC News, Passau
Chancellor Merkel came bearing gifts. She promised that the federal government would earmark 50 million euros in direct aid to flood affected areas, with the government of Bavaria matching the sum in the region.
That money may have to be spread over a wider area. All the signs were that the waters of the Danube were subsiding, but other rivers further north started to look more threatening.
In Saxony, the Elbe was rising to dangerous levels, as waters poured in from the Czech Republic.
The unanswered question is whether floods are getting worse and more frequent in this region.  The two big floods in recent memory were 2002 and today's - both previously predicted to be very rare events.
But the big one before that was in 1954, before concerns about global warming.
The Danube is a busy commercial waterway which is much subject to man-made alteration, both to improve navigation and for waterside development.
This human engineering of the landscape is constantly monitored and debated in this region.  The current floods will add to that debate.
The latest cities to be hit include Meissen on the Elbe. Nearby Dresden is preparing for water levels 5m higher than normal.
Officials in Saxony - home to both Meissen and Dresden - have warned that rivers could rise even higher than in the record floods of 2002, when both cities were devastated.
Chancellor Merkel toured some of the worst-hit areas on Tuesday, flying over Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia by helicopter.
In the stricken Bavarian city of Passau  - where waters reached a level not seen in 500 years - she called the floods "an event of historic proportions" and promised 100m euros in emergency aid, half of it from the federal government
"I spoke to residents who are already busy with clean-up work and I am aware that it will take weeks. The damage and loss of income are a long-term problem and therefore our support will not dwindle," she said.
Across Europe at least 12 people have died as a result of the floods. As well as Germany and the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have been affected.
Main roads in many areas have been closed and rail services cut. Thousands of homes are without power.
Hungary has declared a state of emergency as the surging waters move down the River Danube, with the peak expected on Thursday.
The Hungarian capital Budapest and the Slovakian capital Bratislava - both on the Danube - are on alert and flood defences are being reinforced.
In the Czech Republic, a nationwide state of emergency is still in force. Water levels were expected to peak in the north later on Tuesday.
As a precaution, Prague's metro system and central sewage treatment plant were closed, metal flood defences were erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.
In Austria, the meteorological service said two months of rain had fallen in just two days.
Shipping was halted on parts of the Danube and Rhine in Germany, and the entire length of the Danube in Austria. The rivers are used heavily to transport commodities such as grain and coal.


Former England captain Casey Stoney has left Arsenal Ladies, bringing an end to her second spell at the club.

The 34-year-old centre-back rejoined the Gunners from Lincoln Ladies in January 2014, having previously played for Arsenal between 1999 and 2002.
She helped the north London side win the FA Women's Cup in 2014 and 2016, and the Continental Cup in 2015.
Stoney scored one goal in 18 appearances in Women's Super League One this year.
Arsenal finished third in the table after winning 5-3 at Liverpool on Sunday.
"I'm sorry I never got the chance to say goodbye" tweeted Stoney, who was appointed an MBE in 2015. "But I would like to say a big thank you to my team-mates and all the amazing fans for all your support.
"Looking forward to my next chapter."


Two Czech women tourists who were kidnapped two years ago in Pakistan have been released and have returned home, Czech PM Bohuslav Sobotka says.

Hana Humpalova and Antonie Chrastecka, both 26, were abducted while travelling on a bus in south-western Balochistan province in March 2013.
A Turkish Muslim humanitarian body helped negotiate the release.
Kidnappings are not uncommon in Balochistan, both by militants and gangs seeking ransoms.
Mr Sobotka confirmed to the CT24 news channel that the pair were back in the country and asked for their privacy to be respected.
The Anadolu news agency in Turkey quoted Ms Chrastecka as saying: "I still can't believe I am here. Even now, I fear this is a dream."
The agency said the pair had arrived in Van, eastern Turkey, on Friday after two months of "intense" negotiations.
Izzet Sahin, of the Turkish Muslim humanitarian organisation IHH, said it had been contacted by the families of the women as a last resort.
Anadolu quoted Ms Humpalova as saying: "It was very hard. For the first time in our lives we saw weapons and armed men.
"We still do not know why were taken. There were weapons fired and bombs going off. But we got used to it in time."
The pair were travelling from Iran to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, when they were taken from the bus in Chaghi district, despite a police escort.


A group of Kenyan Muslims travelling on a bus ambushed by Islamist gunmen protected Christian passengers by refusing to be split into groups, according to eyewitnesses.

They told the militants "to kill them together or leave them alone", a local governor told Kenyan media.
At least two people were killed in the attack, near the north-eastern village of El Wak on the Somali border.
The Somali based al-Shabab group is the main suspect for the attack.
It has not said if it was responsible, but often carries out attacks in Kenya's north-east.
The bus was travelling from the capital Nairobi to the town of Mandera.
When al-Shabab killed 148 people in an attack on Garissa University College in April, the militants reportedly singled out Christians and shot them, while freeing many Muslims.
Last year, a bus was attacked near Mandera by al-Shabab militants, who killed 36 non-Muslims travelling to Nairobi for Christmas celebrations.
"The locals showed a sense of patriotism and belonging to each other," Mandera governor Ali Roba told Kenya's private Daily Nation newspaper.
The militants decided to leave after the passengers' show of unity, he added.
An employee of the Makkah bus company, who had spoken to the driver involved in the attack, confirmed to the BBC that Muslims had refused to be separated from their fellow Christian passengers.
One of the victims was shot dead after trying to run away from the militants after passengers had been forced off the bus, the same employee told the BBC's Bashkas Jugsodaay in Nairobi.
Al-Shabab has been at war with Kenya ever since Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October 2011 in an effort to crush the militants.
Kenya's north-eastern region has a large population of ethnic Somalis.


An America author has won the 2014 International Dylan Thomas Prize.

Illinois-born Joshua Ferris was announced as the winner of the title at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea on Thursday night.
His novel, To Rise Again At A Decent Hour, was picked by a panel of judges from a shortlist of seven authors.
President of the prize, Peter Stead, said it is "a novel which encapsulates the frustration, energy and humour that goes into the making of New York."
Mr Ferris, who lives in New York, is the author of two previous novels; Then We Came to the End and The Unnamed.
In 2010 he was chosen for The New Yorker's '20 Under 40' list of fiction writers.
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour is a dark comic novel centred around a frustrated New York dentist.
The competition, which began in 2006, is open to authors aged 39 and under who have been published in the English language.
Mr Ferris receives Â£30,000 and a bronze cast of Swansea-born poet Dylan Thomas for winning the competition.


A huge car bomb has killed at least eight people and injured 78 in central Beirut, Lebanese officials say.

The explosion occurred in a busy street in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafiya.
The intended target may have been top intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan, officials say. Some reports say he was killed.
No group has said it carried out the bombing. Tensions in Lebanon have been rising over the conflict in Syria.
Mr Hassan was involved in the uncovering of a recent bomb plot that led to the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician.
'Cowardly act'
Friday's attack was the deadliest in Beirut since 2008. It took place near Sassine Square, at a time when many parents were picking up children from school.
By Wyre DaviesBBC News, Beirut
There were chaotic scenes as emergency vehicles rushed to Ashrafiya just as the weekend was about to begin.
After a long period of relative calm this is the first big bomb attack in the Lebanese capital in four years. But many here had feared something like this would happen sooner or later and that Lebanon would be inevitably dragged into the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Some Lebanese political leaders have already accused the Assad regime in Syria of being behind the attack, even though it is still too early to say who is responsible.
The danger now is not only that there may be further such attacks but also that tensions will grow between Lebanon's numerous armed and political factions - many of whom are defined by their positions on the Syrian conflict.
Hospitals across the city have reported large numbers of wounded, and called for people to donate blood.
The blast caused considerable damage, setting cars ablaze and destroying the facades of nearby buildings.
Ronnie Chatah, who lives 500m from the site of the blast, told the BBC: "The building shook and it echoed throughout the neighbourhood."
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the government was trying to identify the perpetrators and said they would be punished.
The attack occurred close to the headquarters of the Kataeb, better known as the Phalange, a Maronite Christian group.
The general secretariat of the Western-backed 14 March coalition of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is also based in the area.
An MP from the alliance, Michel Pharaon, told al-Jazeera TV: "I think Ashrafiya is a target, and 14 March is a target. This region is symbolic because it is in the heart of the capital and it is a Christian neighbourhood."
Some 14 March politicians have specifically accused the Syrian government of being behind the bombing.
However Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi called it a "cowardly terrorist act".


Scunthorpe United have signed Bradford City winger Josh Morris for free on a three-year deal.

The 24-year-old joined the Bantams on a three-year deal last summer after being released by Blackburn and scored once in 16 appearances.
He previously played under Iron boss Graham Alexander when the duo were at Fleetwood.
"We're really pleased because I think he will bring a lot to the team," Alexander told the club website.


Southern Vipers finished top of the inaugural Super League table, beating Loughborough Lightning by 59 runs to automatically qualify for the final.

Both were already through to Finals Day on 21 August, but Vipers' bonus-point win means that Lightning now contest the semi-final with Western Storm.
Spinner Linsey Smith's 3-16 helped bowl out Lightning, chasing 157, for 97.
Meanwhile, Anya Shrubsole's five-wicket haul helped Storm beat Yorkshire Diamonds by six wickets at Headingley.
Little-known 21-year-old spinner Smith again continued to look at home at Southampton, bowling against some of the best players in the women's game.
Smith bowled internationals Dane van Niekerk and Sophie Devine in her first over before trapping the well-set Evelyn Jones lbw in her second to dismantle Lightning's top order.
Former England all-rounder Arran Brindle continued to impress as her 3-24 finished Lightning off with seven balls remaining.
England strike bowler Shrubsole's superb four-wicket final-over maiden blew the Diamonds away at Headingley, as the 24-year-old claimed the first five-wicket Super League haul.
Having earlier bowled Holly Armitage for an eight-ball duck in the third over, Shrubsole then dismantled Jenny Gunn and Katie Levick's stumps, had Shabnim Ismail caught behind and Danielle Hazell caught, to bowl the hosts out for 118.
Rachel Priest's half-century, which came off 35 balls and included six fours and two maximums, eased Storm home with 21 balls spare, to give Heather Knight's side momentum going into Finals Day.


England's Judd Trump lost five frames in a row as he was beaten by China's Liang Wenbo on a dramatic evening at the UK Championship.

Last year's runner-up coasted into a 3-0 lead, scoring 278 unanswered points before an "embarrassing" collapse.
But Trump's defeat was overshadowed by a heartbreaking missed 147 by Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Un-Nooh fluffed a maximum break with a final black miss in the sixth frame of his 6-2 defeat against Neil Robertson.
The miss cost Un-Nooh £44,000 in total.
Robertson, the 2013 champion, made a 145 in the next frame to claim the highest break of the tournament and eased to victory.
Un-Nooh's gut-wrenching error, after several astonishing pots had kept his hopes of a maximum alive, partly kept Trump's troubles out of the limelight.
Trump, the 2011 winner, scored 112 in the first frame, 75 in the third and looked in majestic form to lead 3-0,
But a kick in the sixth frame, when he could have gone 5-1 ahead, changed the course of the game according to the pre-tournament favourite.
"At 4-1 I felt in complete control and was playing well, but I had a kick and it was embarrassing towards the end," he said.
"It was one of those games where I didn't want to be out there any more. I didn't think I could pot a ball. I don't know what went wrong. It's worrying.
"It is probably the worst I have ever felt as a professional. I was never going to win. It was very disheartening. I knew something would go wrong. It was a horrible feeling."
Wenbo said: "I am very happy. At 4-3 I thought I had a chance. He missed some easy balls."
In the afternoon session World number four Murphy comfortably beat Ben Woollaston, finishing an increasingly impressive performance with a stylish 106.
The 2008 champion began in ominous fashion, hitting an opening-frame 83.
Woollaston had several chances but Murphy showed his matchplay quality and potting ability to score two 70-plus breaks and secure victory with a 106.
"I am very pleased with my performance," Murphy, 33, said.
World number 30 Woollaston was amazed by some of the shots attempted by Murphy.
"He goes for balls that no-one else goes for. I don't think even Judd would have gone for some of the ones he went for," Woollaston said. "In the last frame I thought I played a great safety and he made a century.
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Murphy added: "Part of going for your shots is saying, 'I am prepared to go for my shots, are you?'
"It sends a message out to your opponent. I have always gone for my shots and I always will."
There were also wins for Englishmen Tom Ford and Martin Gould, Scotland's Stephen Maguire and Hong Kong's Marco Fu.


Police say they are "very concerned" for the welfare of a 52-year-old man who has been missing for nearly a week, as wet clothes were found on a Dorset beach.

Nigel Day was last seen at his home in Portland Road, Wyke Regis, on Tuesday.
On Thursday, police and the coastguard helicopter searched for him around the coast of Portland when a bag of belongings were found on Chesil Beach.
Officers believe Nigel entered the water and came to harm.
He is described as white, of thin build, and around six foot tall with shoulder-length hair and a beard.
He made phone contact with a relative on Wednesday but no one has seen or heard from him since.
Sgt Jeremy Cuff, of Weymouth Police, said: "It has been five days since Nigel was last in contact and, following the discovery of his clothing and other items on Chesil beach, we are extremely concerned for his welfare."
Dorset Police is appealing for information.


India's environment watchdog has criticised the government for failing to clean up the Ganges river.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said it was "unfortunate" that both the federal and Uttar Pradesh governments had failed to clean the river.
A petitioner told the NGT on Monday that dead bodies were still being dumped in the heavily-polluted river.
The Ganges is considered holy and supports a third of the country's population living on its floodplains.
"It is really unfortunate that the Ganges continues to be polluted. Why don't you [the state and federal governments] do something? You raise slogans [about cleaning the river], but do exactly opposite of that," the NGT said.
The watchdog was hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Gaurav Bansal.
Mr Bansal told BBC Hindi that people still dump dead bodies in the Ganges from the northern city of Varanasi and the government hasn't been able to stop the practice.
"Millions have been spent to clean the river, but nothing has changed. All governments of the past and the current one are responsible for the situation," Mr Bansal said.
Environmentalists say unchecked industrial waste and sewage heavily pollute the river. And the Hindu practice of using the river for cremation also causes pollution.
Many Hindus do not cremate unwed girls and young boys, and many poor people cannot afford cremation so they wrap the body in white muslin and float it in the river.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to clean up the Ganges during his election campaign speeches in 2014 and his Bharatiya Janata Party government subsequently set an "ambitious" target to complete the task within three years.
But correspondents say that little has changed and the river continues to be one of the most polluted in India.


A blaze at the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot may have been caused by lightning, initial investigations have suggested.

Crews were called to the blaze, which is believed to have started in the coke oven, at about 08:00 GMT on Thursday.
A Tata Steel spokesperson said: "Initial investigations suggest the fire was caused by a lightning strike."
The firm said there were no casualties and production had resumed by 17:00 GMT.
"It's as near business as usual," said a spokesman.
"The fire ensued within the coke ovens but we have gone through the main systems in the works and they are able to be up running again," he added.
Last month, Tata announced 750 job cuts at the site, among 1,050 across the UK.


Ever wondered what to do if you find a hedgehog in your garden?

17 March 2015 Last updated at 14:37 GMT
Hedgehog officer Simon Thompson works at the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and knows all about caring for hedgehogs.
These are his top tips...
When hedgehogs wake from hibernation they are hungry, so you can leave some dry or wet cat food out for them to eat. Avoid giving them bread and milk.
If you have a pond, make it safe by providing a ladder or ramp. Hedgehogs are good swimmers but can't always climb out of a pond without a ramp.
A small hole at the bottom of your garden fence will let hedgehogs pass to the neighbouring garden. Remember to ask permission before making holes in your hence!
An untidy area of the garden with a log pile will provide places for hedgehogs to hide. It will also attract insects for the hedgehog to eat!


More than £2m has been spent searching for a new site for Jersey's general hospital since 2011, according to the health department.

At the end of 2013 politicians voted to make money available to build a new hospital as the existing site was considered outdated.
Health Minister, Senator Andrew Green, said four sites were on the shortlist.
He said it was a complicated process but a final decision on a site in St Helier had not yet been made.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that £2.2m had been spent so far with the bulk, £1.17m spent this year.
The money was spent on working with external suppliers as well as paying staff, overheads and administration.
£2,209,547
Total cost so far since 2011
£220,708 in 2012
£413,485 in 2013
£396,160 in 2014
£1,179,220 so far in 2015
A new site for the hospital has been discussed for years, with more than 50 sites considered by officials.
Earlier in 2015, Mr Green rejected a previously proposed two-site hospital, saying it should all be on a single site.
The four locations under consideration are the current hospital site, the Overdale hospital site, People's Park and the St Helier Waterfront.
The health authority has argued the existing hospital building is out of date, and needs to be replaced.
About £300m has been made available for the redevelopment of the hospital, which is expected to include building costs and new equipment.


St Helens head coach Nathan Brown will leave the club at the end of the season and return to his native Australia.

Saints made the announcement less than 24 hours after Brown guided the team to their first Grand Final since 2011.
The 41-year-old, who joined Saints at the start of 2013 after leaving Huddersfield, led the club to the League Leaders' Shield this year.
"Nathan has done a great job in rebuilding the squad over the last two seasons," said chairman Eamonn McManus.
"We are very strongly positioned indeed for the future."
Brown previously coached St George Illawarra Dragons and had been keen to return to the NRL - he recently applied for the Wests Tigers' job, which went instead to Jason Taylor.
In his first full season in charge at Langtree Park, Brown's side finished fifth and were beaten in the second week of the play-offs, losing by a single point to Leeds Rhinos.
St Helens won 19 of their games this term to finish top of the Super League table and end a six-year wait for silverware.
And victory over Catalan Dragons on Thursday ensured a spot in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on 11 October.
"Nathan received our blessing to apply for the Wests Tigers head coaching position and, although not successful, the same family reasons for a return home still pertained," added McManus.
"We therefore willingly agreed to grant him an early release regardless.
"The club's focus is now entirely on winning the Grand Final at Old Trafford next week.
"As it is Nathan's last game in charge, there is even more to play for and the motivation levels are even higher."


A council in Oxfordshire has agreed to buy 462 acres (187 hectares) of land where hundreds of people can build their own homes.

Up to 1,900 self-build properties are to be built on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) site in Bicester, following the purchase by Cherwell District Council.
The scheme, at Graven Hill, will include kit homes, group-build schemes and properties designed by the owners but built by contractors.
Construction is due to begin in 2015.
Council leader Barry Wood said it was believed to be the first large-scale self-build project of its kind in the country.
The council's executive met on Monday to agree the multimillion-pound purchase, the details of which have not been made public.
A resolution to grant planning permission has already been agreed for the homes as well as a primary school, pub and shops.
The authority said the development would also include a million sq ft of commercial space and create up to 2,000 jobs and apprenticeships.
More than half the site will be set aside as community woodland and open space.
The MoD is to continue running a warehousing operation on the site until 2019 but areas of the site will be vacated to allow roads to be built.
Mr Wood said: "So many people dream of building their own home but are often put off by the complicated process and difficulty in finding a suitable plot of land. Cherwell has done the hard part by finding the land."


A judge has praised an undercover police officer who infiltrated a group of British supporters of so-called Islamic State to gather evidence.

Group leader Mohammed Alamgir, 37, was jailed for six years for inviting support for IS at the Old Bailey.
Speeches made by Alamgir and four other men in Luton were secretly recorded by the officer, known only as Kamal.
Judge Michael Topolski QC said he had displayed "considerable resourcefulness and even greater courage".
LIVE: Updates on this and other Bedfordshire news
He said the evidence he had gathered had played a "pivotal role" in the case and that it was not difficult to imagine the fate "that might befall him had he been exposed".
The court heard how the men had made speeches at a marquee and a church hall.
The judge described how Alamgir, of Kenilworth Road, Luton, spoke in June 2015 at St Margaret's Church "of the sun setting on the British Empire and the sun trying to rise on the Islamic State".
Sentencing him, the judge said: "You are in my judgement deeply committed to an a extreme and violent Jihad mindset.
"You are in that sense a dangerous man."
Rajib Khan, 37, of Biscot Road, Luton, was jailed for five years, and Yousaf Bashir, 36, of Dane Road, Luton, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
Mohammed Choudry, 23, of Laggan Road, Maidenhead, was jailed for four years.
Judge Topolski said: "In the cases of Alamgir, Khan, Bashir and Choudry, I am entirely satisfied that they revealed in their indicted speeches and indeed elsewhere, opinions which were clearly supportive of terrorism and specifically of IS."
The court heard how Ziaur Rahman, 39, of Ferndale Road, Luton, was also convicted of arranging the meetings at which there were children present.
He was sentenced to two years and six months.


Police are investigating a serious sexual assault on a woman in Bangor, County Down.

The woman, who is in her 20s, was attacked after two men offered her a lift in a car as she walked along High Street in the town.
She got into the vehicle in Holburn Avenue car park shortly before 02:00 BST on Saturday.
Police said the assault took place when the car drove towards Groomsport and stopped in a "dark area".
They have appealed to anyone with information about the attack to contact detectives.
The driver was described as thin, with a skinhead haircut and scruffy, ginger beard.
The second man was described as being of large build, approximately 5'4" tall, with a round face and brown, messy hair.
They were travelling in a silver car, possibly a Volkswagen Golf, in which the internal panel of the passengers' door was missing.


The refurbishment of the first of 13 aircraft operated by the Scottish airline Loganair has been completed.

The interior of the Saab 340 that flies to and from Orkney was stripped out and renewed and the exterior repainted at a cost of almost £270,000.
Loganair, a franchise partner of Flybe, will spend £3.5m having the same work done to the rest of its fleet.
The first stage in the three-year project follows criticism about the reliability of Loganair services.
The airline's business includes operating lifeline routes to and from the Scottish islands, including Lewis in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
Last year, members of the public and MSPs raised concerns about the reliability of some of these services.
In January this year, the company announced that it was investing £15m in a programme of improvements and upgrades.
As well as being given a revamp, each plane is to undergo a specialist check every 36 months.
Loganair said this "intensive process" would involve stripping back the aircraft to the basic airframe structure for an examination using X-ray machines.
Both engines and the flight control surfaces would also be removed to give access to the aircraft's structure and internal systems.
Loganair chairman David Harrison said he was "extremely pleased" the first plane had been refurbished
He said: "Our engineers and support teams put an incredible amount of time and effort into the project, and I'm certain our customers will appreciate their endeavour and enjoy the comfort benefits the renewal project brings to the Saab 340 fleet.
"This Saab 340 renewal programme again underlines the commitment made by Loganair at the beginning of the year to embark on a significant investment programme to enhance the fleet and ultimately improve customer experience."


Hull manager Marco Silva is hoping for "another twist" in the relegation fight as his side look for a vital win at Crystal Palace.

Swansea's win at Sunderland means that Hull must win at Selhurst Park to stand a realistic chance of survival.
Silva said: "I always said that the fight would go on until the end of the season.
"It is possible to have another twist. It is a fight between ourselves, Crystal Palace and Swansea."
Sunderland and Middlesbrough are already down, while a win for Hull would take the fight to avoid 18th place to the final day of the season.
Should Hull and Palace draw, the Eagles would be safe and the Tigers would need a seven-goal swing in goal difference on the final day to stay up ahead of Swansea.
"The pressure lies on Hull. They have to win the game, we have to draw it," said Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce.
"We play not to lose - that is the key element. Whoever deals with the pressure better is a big factor.
"Our crowd will be a big help as long as they get don't nervous. If they get nervous, they can pass that over and that will make us a bit more nervous.
"We have to deal with the emotion of the game on Sunday and come out on top."
Crystal Palace will monitor injury doubts James Tomkins, Yohan Cabaye and Scott Dann.
The Eagles will also assess Joel Ward, who broke his nose at Manchester City, and Andros Townsend, who is managing an Achilles problem.
Winger Lazar Markovic will miss Hull's final two games of the season after injuring his ankle against Sunderland.
Defender Omar Elabdellaoui returns to the squad after missing seven games with a back problem.
Simon Brotherton: "This is a huge game for both clubs - but while Palace boss Sam Allardyce says it is bigger than a cup final, Marco Silva has stressed the need for Hull's players to stay calm.
"A Swansea win on Wearside has left Hull needing a victory to stand a realistic chance of staying up.
"Three points for the Swans coupled with defeat for Hull would see the Tigers relegated, while a point wouldn't send them down mathematically - but would leave them teetering on the brink.
"The stakes could hardly be higher."
Twitter: @SimonBrotherton
Palace have been all over the place defensively recently, and three defeats in a row have put them back in trouble.
A point would do for the Eagles here, though, and that is what I think they will get.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v tennis world number one Andy Murray
Head-to-head
Crystal Palace
Hull City
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.


Wigan half-back Matty Smith has set his sights on becoming the first player to win man-of-the-match awards in both domestic finals in the same season.

Smith was crowned the Lance Todd Trophy winner in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, where Wigan defeated Hull FC.
And he can make it a unique double when his side face Warrington in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Date of birth: 27 July 1987
Born: Whiston, Merseyside
Previous clubs: St Helens, Widnes, Crusaders, Salford
Did you know? Smith was at Everton at the same time as Wayne Rooney, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe before being released by the Toffees at the age of 15
"It would be amazing to win both man of the match trophies. It has never been done before," Smith told BBC Sport.
Former Wigan stars Kris Radlinski and Jason Robinson have won both awards, but as yet it has never been done in the same campaign.
With Shaun Wane's men looking to complete a double of their own by winning the Super League title to go with their cup victory - a feat not achieved since St Helens in 2006 - Smith is confident in his own ability and is pleased at how he has performed this season.
"It is a team game, we set our sights on winning both cups at the start of the year and to do that would be fantastic," he said.
"I was not sure who would win between Wigan and Leeds last week and I cannot call this one either.
"From an England perspective there are six players from Wigan and two from Warrington [in England's World Cup squad] but that does not tell the whole story.
"Warrington have got a couple of old stagers like Adrian Morley and Garreth Carvell who just missed out with England, then a couple of the younger boys like Stefan Ratchford and Richie Myler who could easily have been selected.
"I think it is a very even match-up between the English boys. It could be the foreign contingent that decide the final."
"If we do end up winning, then someone on our side will pick up the Harry Sunderland trophy and I have a chance of doing that.
"But it has been a great year for me. I haven't surprised myself at how well I have done because I knew I had it in me."
The Merseyside-born 26-year-old already has experience of playing in a Grand Final in 2010, but it was not a good one as his St Helens side were beaten 22-10 by his current employees.
"I still think back to the 2010 final and I never want to feel that pain again, what I felt at the final whistle," said Smith.
"Walking out in front of 80,000 people, the best moment of your career, to the worst moment when you get beaten.
"It was awful but they say you have to lose one to win one so hopefully that will be the case for me on Saturday."
Smith - a former Everton trainee - has predicted a close contest at Old Trafford and feels it will be a showpiece occasion that will live long in the memory.
"It is hard to split the two sides. Both are fantastic, attacking teams that are able to strike from anywhere on the pitch," he added.
"Both are great defensively too and have a first-class kicking game so I think it will be one of the best finals ever."


Rents paid to private landlords in Britain went up by an average of 2.5% over the last year, the fastest rise for two-and-a-half years, figures show.

The largest increase was in London, where rents rose by 3.8% in the year to the end of June, according to The Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Excluding London, rents rose by 1.7%.
The figures - which are classified as experimental by the ONS - show rents went up by 2.1% in Scotland, and 0.8% in Wales.
Over the same period general inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), was nil.
The Money Advice Trust (MAT), which runs National Debtline, said the rise was "a real concern".
"While many households will be able to shoulder these increases in housing costs as the economic recovery continues, we fear that rent arrears will continue to increase," said Jane Tully, the head of insight and engagement at the MAT .
The housing charity Shelter said the increase in rents meant that some tenants were now paying half their monthly income to landlords.
It called on the government to build more affordable homes.


City Hall is exploring potential plans to build what could become London's largest film studios.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a feasibility study into building studios in Dagenham east London.
The new development would be the first purpose-built film and television studios in the capital for at least 25 years.
Barking and Dagenham council and the London Local Enterprise Partnership will now develop a business case.
An £80,000 feasibility study will look at demand for such a facility and the economic benefit it could bring to East London and the city as a whole.
The new studios would complement London's three existing film studios at Twickenham, Ealing and Three Mills, the mayor said.
Approximately three-quarters of the UK's film industry is based in and around London, making it the third busiest city for film production in the world after Los Angeles and New York.
Last year, the capital saw £1bn of inward investment from international film production.
Those behind the proposals argue new studio space would help meet increasing demand and deliver more multi-million-pound productions to the capital.
The creative industries already provide 800,000 jobs in London and generate £35bn for the economy.
City Hall argued the new studios would create "a range of permanent jobs in the East End".
The biggest US studio-backed productions can spend over £100m in the UK.
The proposed site for the new studios at Dagenham East is located in front of London-east industrial park.
Mr Khan said: "From James Bond and Star Wars to Harry Potter and Bridget Jones's Baby, London has a vibrant production history and some of the best studios in the world.
"To sustain and grow this success story, it is critical the capital gets significantly more studio and production capacity to maximise the opportunities for filmmaking."


Chris Ashton will miss England's entire Six Nations campaign after being handed a 10-week ban that ends on 28 March.

The Saracens winger, 28, had just been recalled to the England squad, 18 months after his last appearance.
Ashton was cited for making contact with the eyes of Ulster's Luke Marshall in a European Champions Cup game.
England, now coached by Australian, Eddie Jones, begin their Six Nations campaign in Scotland on 6 February, ending it on 19 March in France.
Ashton, who has 39 caps, has the right to appeal against the decision.
"It's a huge blow to Chris Ashton," former England skipper Will Carling told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"He's worked incredibly hard to get back. When he first appeared, he was outstanding and it would've been great to see him back.
"It's very sad he won't be there and I'm sure Eddie Jones will be frustrated."
According to the judicial officer who ruled on the case, Ashton committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card.
The official determined that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby's sanctions and selected a 12-week ban.
He then added one week as a deterrent, according to World Rugby guidelines regarding offences of this nature, before reducing the sanction by three weeks due to Ashton's good character and good conduct.
BBC Radio 5 Live's rugby union reporter Chris Jones:
Given how hard he has worked to get back into the international fold, this ban will be a devastating blow for Ashton, who is desperate to resume his England career after falling out of favour under Stuart Lancaster.
Although Ashton's challenge could be considered reckless, it is not malicious and it seems almost certain Ashton will appeal.
However, as things stand, England boss Eddie Jones will be without the Saracens wing and will need to call up a replacement.


Essex have compiled a shortlist of five candidates to replace Paul Grayson as the county's new head coach.

Grayson stepped down in September after eight years in charge, with assistant head coach and former England bowler Chris Silverwood in temporary charge.
Silverwood is one of the five applicants who will be interviewed.
"It's mixture of people from overseas and the UK as well, it's a fair mix and I'm chuffed to bits with who's come forward," said Essex's Ronnie Irani.
"It's a big job. Essex is a big club, it's a huge name globally in the world of cricket," added the former Essex skipper, who is now the club's cricket committee chairman.
Essex finished third in Division Two of the County Championship in 2015, but have not featured in the top flight since their relegation in 2010.
"We've just got to take our time and make sure we've got the right person with the right attitude who's got the county at heart," said Irani, who captained the club to the Division Two title in 2002.
"We need a coach who's going to fully commit and give as much energy as possible because that'll rub off on the players. We'll be successful and we'll win things if we get that recipe right."


Angus Robertson, the SNP's leader at Westminster, has requested a meeting with David Cameron to discuss the ongoing crisis in Yemen.

He has urged the prime minister to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia claiming the weapons are being used in its military campaign in the neighbouring country.
Mr Robertson said the situation meant the UK was "effectively at war".
The UK government said UK military personnel were not directly involved in operations by the Saudi-led coalition.
Air strikes and fighting on the ground in Yemen have killed 5,800 people, about half of them civilians, since a Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign to restore the internationally-recognised government last March, according to the UN.
The coalition comprises five Gulf Arab states and Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan.
Mr Robertson raised the situation in Yemen during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
He has now asked for a meeting with Mr Cameron and has highlighted a report commissioned by Amnesty International which claimed Britain was "breaking national, EU and international law by supplying weapons used by Saudi Arabia in a bombing campaign in Yemen".
The SNP said since May 2010, the UK government had overseen more than Â£5.6bn worth of military licences to Saudi Arabia including fighter jets, tear gas military vehicles and targeting equipment.
Mr Robertson said: "David Cameron needs to provide a full and frank disclosure of the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia, and the UK's involvement in the war in Yemen - the lack of transparency has been alarming.
"World attention on conflict in Middle East is focussed on Syria and Iraq and sadly the catastrophic war in Yemen is largely overlooked, although it is claiming many lives and causing millions of people to flee their homes and become refugees.
"I have requested a meeting with the prime minister to raise the evidence which has recently come to light, and I will urge for the Commons Committee on Arms Exports Controls to be re-instated immediately to provide a level of scrutiny."
The UK government said it operated "one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world".
A spokeswoman added: "No licence is issued if it does not meet these requirements.
"We regularly raise with Saudi Arabian-led coalition and the Houthi the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law in Yemen.
"UK military personnel are not directly involved in Saudi-led Coalition operations, we are offering Saudi Arabia advice and training on best practice targeting techniques to help ensure continued compliance with International Humanitarian Law."
In response to Mr Roberston's comments at PMQs, Mr Cameron said the UK was "not involved in the Saudi targeting decision making process".


Tributes have been paid to a woman who died after being hit by a tipper truck while walking her dog in Gwynedd.

Dorothy Jones, 75, was fatally injured when she was struck by a silver Ford Transit truck in Nantlle Road, Talysarn, on Friday afternoon.
She was airlifted to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, but later died.
Her family said she was "the kindest, most generous person with a heart of gold".
Ms Jones, known as Dot, was born in Stockport and worked at Stepping Hill Hospital from the age of 16, before later moving to Cilgwyn to run a small holding, and then Talysarn, near Nantlle.
Her daughters Tracey and Caroline described her as a "wonderful mum and nana" to her grandchildren Ryan and Holly.
"We are in total disbelief at the moment," a tribute from them read.
"If anyone asked us for two words to sum mum up it would be 'free spirit'. She was the kindest, most generous person with a heart of gold.
"It will be very hard for us as family and friends now, as she was killed so close to her home."
Police want to speak to anyone who may have seen Ms Jones walking her lurcher dog along the road before she was hit.


A new type of Tyrannosaur with a very long nose has been nicknamed "Pinocchio rex".

The ferocious carnivore, nine metres long with a distinctive horny snout, was a cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Its skeleton was dug up in a Chinese construction site and identified by scientists at Edinburgh University, UK.
How to move a T-Rex dinosaur
The 66-million-year-old predator, officially named Qianzhousaurus sinensis, is described in Nature Communications.
"Pinocchio" looked very different to other tyrannosaurs.
"It had the familiar toothy grin of T. rex, but its snout was long and slender, with a row of horns on top," said Edinburgh's Dr Steve Brusatte.
"It might have looked a little comical, but it would have been as deadly as any other tyrannosaur, and maybe even a little faster and stealthier.
"We thought it needed a nickname, and the long snout made us think of Pinocchio's long nose."
Researchers now think several different tyrannosaurs lived and hunted alongside each other in Asia during the late Cretaceous Period, the last days of the dinosaurs.
The enormous Tarbosaurus (up to 13m) had deep and powerful jaws like T. rex - strong enough to crush the bones of giant herbivores.
The thinner teeth and lighter skeleton of Qianzhousaurus suggest it hunted smaller creatures, such as lizards and feathered dinosaurs. But at nine metres tall and weighing almost a tonne, it was still a gigantic carnivore.
"You wouldn't want to run into either of these guys," said Dr Brusatte.
Pinocchio's snout was 35% longer than other dinosaurs of its size. So, why the long face?
"The truth is we don't know yet. But it must've been doing something different," Dr Brusatte told BBC News.
"The iconic picture of a tyrannosaur is T. Rex, the biggest, baddest dinosaur of all.
"But this new species was lighter, less muscular. It breaks the mould. Perhaps it had a faster bite and hunted in a different way."
The discovery of "Pinocchio" settles an argument over a series of strange new fossil finds.
In recent years, two tyrannosaurs with unusually prominent proboscises were dug up in Mongolia, and named Alioramus.
The horny-snouted predators appeared to come from an entirely new branch of the tyrannosaur family.
"The trouble was, they were both juveniles. So it was possible their long snouts were just a weird transient feature that grows out in adults," said Dr Brusatte, an expert in tyrannosaur evolution.
But this new Qianzhousaurus specimen is an almost fully mature adult. It was found largely intact and remarkably well preserved by road construction workers near Ganzhou in southern China.
"It's twice the size of the juveniles, and yet it still shows the same features - including the distinctive horns," said Dr Brusatte.
"This is the slam dunk we needed: the long-snouted tyrannosaurs were real."
Palaeontologists are now confident that Qianzhousaurus and Alioramus are part of a new subgroup of tyrannosaurs with elongated skulls.
Their discovery from Mongolia to southern China suggests these "second tier" carnivores were widely distributed, according to Prof Junchang Lu of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, a co-author on the paper.
"Although we are only starting to learn about them, the long-snouted tyrannosaurs were apparently one of the main groups of predatory dinosaurs in Asia," he said.
With these "weird" creatures now accepted as being part of a whole family, more and more of their long-snouted relatives are expected to be unearthed.
As for the riddle of Pinocchio's nose, the scientists hope to solve it via biomechanical studies of its jaw - which may hint at its feeding habits.


League Two side Northampton Town have signed Sheffield United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on loan until January.

The 18-year-old, who can also play in midfield, has made two first-team appearances for the Blades and also had a loan spell at Stalybridge Celtic where he scored six times.
Calvert-Lewin's arrival follows the sale of Ivan Toney to Newcastle.
"We like what we've seen of him so far, he's enthusiastic and got the ability," said Cobbler boss Chris Wilder.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A look at the career of actor and director Kenneth Branagh, who has been knighted this week in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Few will be surprised by the news that Kenneth Charles Branagh has been made a Sir at the age of 51.
Indeed, from the moment the Belfast native first made his mark in the early 1980s, he has always seemed to be an actor knight in waiting.
Comparisons to Laurence Olivier - who was knighted himself at the age of 40 - have pursued Branagh throughout his career, and are likely to do so again in the light of this latest elevation.
Yet Branagh can be said to have invited those comparisons, not least by choosing to portray the great man on screen in 2011's My Week with Marilyn.
The "new Olivier" tag first attached itself in 1989 when Branagh released his film of Henry V - a Shakespeare history play that "Larry" had famously filmed in 1944.
By the time of its release, however, its 28-year-old director and star was already established as a rising talent on television and the stage.
On his knighthood, Branagh said: "I feel humble, elated and incredibly lucky.
"When I was a kid I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team. I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt and my heart's fit to burst."
Born in Belfast in December 1960, Branagh spent his early years in Northern Ireland before moving to Reading with his family when he was nine.
Having adopted an English accent to avoid being bullied, he first showed a talent for acting in school productions of Toad of Toad Hall and Oh, What a Lovely War.
Seeing Derek Jacobi play Hamlet on stage was a pivotal moment for the teenage Branagh, who went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Even before graduating he had landed his first lead role, in a 1982 Play for Today entitled Too Late To Talk to Billy.
Set in Belfast during the Troubles, Graeme Reid's drama cast Branagh as its troubled title character - a role he would reprise in two follow-up plays.
After leaving Rada, the young actor boosted his profile further by acting in the West End production of Julian Mitchell's Another Country.
Having initially turned down an approach from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Branagh agreed, at the age of 23, to play Henry V at Stratford-upon-Avon.
The actor got rave reviews for his performance, following it up with roles in Hamlet (as Laertes) and Love's Labour's Lost.
Yet a career in the RSC was not forthcoming, Ken opting instead to found the Renaissance Theatre Company in 1987 with producer David Parfitt.
The same year saw Branagh star in the BBC mini-series Fortunes of War, opposite actress Emma Thompson.
"Ken" and "Em" remained a couple both on and off screen, tying the knot in 1989 as his Henry V film reached cinemas.
Downbeat, gritty and mud-flecked, the Shakespearean drama saw him Oscar nominated the following year for best actor and best director.
Its success prompted a flurry of film-making from the feted polymath, who would fill both roles again on the thriller Dead Again, ensemble comedy Peter's Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, another Shakespeare adaptation.
Thompson appeared with her husband in all of the above. By 1994, though, their marriage was on the rocks.
Their break-up coincided with his film of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a costly Gothic horror that was greeted with stinging reviews.
For a man confident enough to pen an autobiography in his twenties, such a public reversal of fortune must have been galling in the extreme.
Yet Branagh did not appear overly stung by the negative reaction and bounced back two years later with a four-hour movie of Hamlet, casting himself in the title role.
The years that followed would see Kenneth step away from directing in order to focus on Hollywood acting assignments.
These included lead roles in Woody Allen's Celebrity and Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man and a villainous turn in Wild Wild West opposite Will Smith.
On the small screen he made a chilling impression as Reinhard Heydrich, architect of the Nazis' so-called "final solution", in HBO drama Conspiracy.
He also had renewed success on stage, both as director of comic farce The Play What I Wrote and as the star of a sell-out Richard III at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
In 2002, Branagh won an army of younger fans by playing flamboyant professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The following year saw him marry Lindsay Brunnock, an art director with whom he worked on 2002 drama Shackleton.
2003 also saw Ken return to the London stage, for the first time in a decade, in the National Theatre's production of David Mamet's Edmond.
And it was not long before he made a return to directing too with fresh adaptations of Shakepeare's As You Like It, Mozart's The Magic Flute and the 1972 film Sleuth - another project with a Laurence Olivier link.
In 2008 Branagh made his first appearance for the BBC as Kurt Wallander, the angst-ridden detective created by Sweden's Henning Mankell.
He followed that Bafta-winning venture by taking on another property with a Scandinavian connection - namely Thor, the Marvel superhero based on the Norse mythological figure.
Some were intrigued when he was selected to direct such a high-profile, comic book blockbuster.
Speaking to the BBC news website, though, he attributed his hiring to his "experience in dealing with heightened language and the dynastic sagas of the great and the good".
Earlier this year Branagh received Bafta, Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his work in My Week with Marilyn.
Yet such recognition seems trifling beside his latest honour, which sees him join the enobled ranks of such friends and collaborators as Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Judi Dench and the late Sir John Gielgud.
So what next for Sir Ken? In the past, Branagh has spoken of his desire to be an artistic director of "a group or a theatre, or maybe a building".
A more pressing concern, though, is his proposed film of 2008 novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, to be shot next year on the titular Channel Island.
He is also set to direct a new film based around Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan, starring Chris Pine of Star Trek fame.


IBM is facing legal action from 250 ex-employees who claim they were "forced" to take early retirement before changes to the pension scheme.

The action is being taken by former workers across the UK, including many at the head office in Portsmouth.
They used to be able to retire early, losing 3% of their annual pension for each year before 60, but the new scheme now sees 6% lost each year before 63.
IBM said its changes were legal and it will contest any action.
Under the old scheme if an employee with an annual pension of £40,000 retired at 55 they would sacrifice £6,000 (15%) over the five years before their 60th birthday.
But under the new scheme the same person would sacrifice £19,200 (48%) over eight years, from their annual pension.
The employees are claiming unfair dismissal and age discrimination.
Their solicitors, Now Legal based in Fareham, Hampshire, claim they were effectively forced to take early retirement to avoid the new terms which would mean losing "substantial proportion" of their future pensions.
The firm added that because the changes impacted on long-serving employees, who are all aged in their 50s, a claim for age discrimination would also be pursued.
Teja Bains, solicitor, said: "Many of the claimants are extremely bitter about the way they have been treated by IBM after so many years of loyal service.
"Many had been with the company for all or most of their working life.
"Being effectively forced into early retirement in their 50s came as a great shock and will have had a very significant financial impact."
All UK claims, which also include independent actions, are being lodged with Southampton Employment Tribunal but could take months to deal with.
IBM, which said it will fight any action, added: "Throughout the process of changes to IBM defined benefit pension plans - and the introduction of a new early retirement programme - IBM has consulted with relevant employees and complied with all legal requirements.
"Claimants left IBM of their own volition, on favourable early retirement terms.
"Thus, we will contest these actions, which are without merit."


Nearly 15,000 shops, restaurants and pubs will benefit from a £10m rate relief scheme for high street firms, the Welsh Government has announced.

It said the scheme, from April, would help businesses whose rates are rising due to a revaluation of their premises.
Ministers said firms whose rates were falling, but struggling with economic conditions and online and out-of-town competition, would also be helped.
The Tories welcomed the cash, but raised questions over who was eligible.
The scheme was part of Labour ministers' budget deal with Plaid Cymru.
Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford revealed the plans in December, saying some retailers were facing substantial rate increases and that there were towns and communities that were being "disproportionately affected".
On Wednesday, property experts warned the rate rises could close shops on rural high streets across Wales.
Analysts have also reported that revaluation will see online giant Amazon paying less business rates on its warehouses, including the one near Swansea.
The relief scheme means eligible retailers with a rateable value of £50,000 or less will receive up to £1,500 off their business rates, under a two-tier system:
Mr Drakeford said: "This new scheme is in addition to the £10m transitional relief scheme, which will also be available from April 1 and the £100m tax cut for small businesses in Wales provided by small business rates relief.
"It will provide vital support to ratepayers on high streets across Wales and offer these businesses extra support."
Ben Cottam from the Federation of Small Businesses said the scheme would "go some way to providing breathing space for many businesses whom we know have been concerned about the impact of new rates bills on their business".
Plaid Cymru economy spokesman Adam Price said his party was pleased to "deliver this additional £10m to support businesses affected by the recent business rates revaluation as part of the recent budget deal between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government".
"However the Labour Welsh Government must now honour its National Assembly election pledge and deliver a fairer business rates relief scheme in Wales, which must include more regular revaluations," he said.
Conservative finance spokesman Nick Ramsay AM said: "Whilst we welcome the additional funding there are still questions over eligibility, and in particular what constitutes a 'High Street', and it is far from clear that this money is targeted only at businesses who have been adversely affected by the recent revaluations."
Mr Ramsay said the scheme needed to be ready within weeks, putting local councils under "significant pressure", and accused Labour ministers of providing a "painfully slow response to the revaluations".
Retailers can contact their local council to see if they qualify for the high street rates relief scheme.
Ministers said work on developing a new permanent small business rates relief scheme for 2018 was underway.


Kidderminster Harriers have agreed a deal with West Bromwich Albion to host Under-21 Premier League matches at Aggborough next season.

The agreement could also see the National League side's home being used for the Baggies' Under-18 side and may include potential FA Youth Cup ties.
"We're excited about getting this completed for some time," said Harriers chief executive Colin Gordon.
"West Brom are great to deal with. It's an arrangement that'll benefit us."
Harriers have been working on finding a new partnership since the start of March when it was announced that National League North side Worcester City would  end their groundshare arrangement after three years at Aggborough.
Gordon, who will give up his temporary role as head coach at the end of the season, says the new deal will help move the club forward off the field.
"There is a financial aspect to the deal that suits us as a club," he said. "But, more importantly, we're looking forward to hosting some exciting games with some of the brightest young talent in the country.
"The pitch at Aggborough has held up magnificently this season thanks to the work of our own groundsman but, from next season, the wear and tear will be significantly less and we'll be able to tap into some of their expertise in that area as well."
Harriers have also confirmed that Albion will play a pre-season friendly at Aggborough this summer, the date of which will be confirmed in due course.
With only six wins all season, Harriers' difficult season is likely to end in relegation this weekend.
Bottom of the table and 14 points from safety with five games to play, they have to win at Welling on Saturday and hope that Halifax, Guiseley and Torquay all lose.
A point for either Halifax or Guiseley would leave Harriers with only a mathematical chance of survival.