A Canadian woman has got her hands on a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix more than a week before its eagerly anticipated release, it was reported today.

A teenage boy who became involved in a plot to sell stolen pages of the new Harry Potter book to a tabloid newspaper has written an apology to author J K Rowling, a court heard today.

A forklift truck driver at a printing firm today admitted stealing pages from the new Harry Potter novel.

A 44-year-old man was charged last night with stealing copies of chapters of the new Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix novel.