A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home

A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home says he has endured a 'living nightmare' and still suffers flashbacks from the incident.

 

Raymond Jacob, 37, suffered fatal stab wounds in a struggle at the Stockport house of courier boss Vincent Cooke on September 17.

Mr Cooke was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after it concluded he was acting in self-defence. 

Today, the 39-year-old said he was 'relieved' to hear the news but said the last few weeks had been a 'living nightmare' and that he was still suffering flashbacks. 

Released: Vincent Cooke, left, was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after Raymond Jacob was stabbed to death at his home 

Mr Cooke's home. His case is the third in Greater Manchester this year involving suspected raiders being killed and the CPS ruling individuals had acted in self-defence

In a statement issued through his lawyers he also thanked the public and for supporting him during this 'terrible event'.

He said: 'I am most relieved that the CPS have decided not to charge me with any offence.

'It has been a living nightmare for me and I'm still suffering flashbacks of the incident.

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£40million cocaine-smuggling gang are sent to jail

 

GANG involved in a "high-level international drugs ring" that brought an estimated £40 million of cocaine into Scotland from Spain were jailed today. Keith Blenkinsop and Lindsay Harkins were the ring-leaders in the operation while Andrew Burns, Robert Dalrymple and James Elvin acted as couriers. All five men were convicted of being concerned in the supply of cocaine in Scotland, England and Spain between 2007 and 2009 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month, the Crown Office said. Blenkinsop, 43, from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, was sentenced to 12 years behind bars and Harkins, 44, of Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, was jailed for nine years and 341 days at the High Court in Edinburgh. Stuart Cassidy, interim district procurator fiscal for Dumfries, said: "This case involved a high-level international drugs ring which used couriers to traffic an estimated £40 million in cocaine from Spain to Scotland. "The drugs - cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis - were destined for the streets of Glasgow but some were also distributed in the Dumfries area. "Drug trafficking at this level is of the utmost seriousness and the damage it does to our young people and Scotland's communities cannot be underestimated. "The Crown will continue to vigorously prosecute drug dealers and will use every power available to disrupt their criminal enterprises and seize their assets." In 2004 Blenkinsop was also sentenced to four years in prison in Spain following a conviction for drug dealing. In sentencing comments released following the hearing, judge Lord Doherty told Blenkinsop: "You have been convicted of being concerned in the supplying of cocaine between January 29 2007 and June 19 2009. "It is clear on the evidence that you were one of the principals in a major cocaine distribution operation which involved cocaine being purchased in Spain, brought back to Scotland, adulterated here using mixing agents and industrial presses, and then being sold on. "Large quantities of money raised in the drug distribution operation was exchanged into euro for onward transfer to Spain. Others operated to your instructions. Cocaine was purchased regularly in Spain in quantities of 2kg at a time. "Those who play leading roles in drug distribution operations involving class A drugs must expect to be dealt with severely by the courts." Blenkinsop was also convicted of being involved in the supply of cannabis resin and amphetamines while Harkins was found guilty of supplying amphetamines. Dalrymple, who is 43 and from Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, was sentenced to six years and 357 days imprisonment after being convicted of being involved in the drugs operation as a courier in 2009. Elvin, 35, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was sentenced to five years and 351 days after also being convicted of being a courier. He brought back two kilograms of cocaine from Spain on April 30 2009 and was about to travel back the following day with more than 37,000 euros (£31,000) in cash hidden in his bag when he was caught. Burns, who is 56 and from Helensburgh, was handed a sentence of seven years and 349 days after he was convicted of being concerned in the supplying of cocaine between January 29 2007 and March 17 2009.

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Police warn they may not be able to afford Tesco's £3m riot compensation bill

 

In total, the retailer has asked for nearly £3m in compensation from police forces around the country, following the riots that tore through some high streets in August. It is likely that this is the biggest request from a single retailer. The company is claiming under the Riot Damages Act, a piece of Victorian legislation that allows businesses and individuals affected by riot damage to claim directly from the police, rather than their own insurer. In the immediate aftermath of the civil disturbances, the British Retail Consortium urged small retailers to put in their claims to make sure their businesses were not harmed. However, the Greater Manchester Police Authority, which has been hit with 280 claims totalling £4.4m, has criticised Tesco for using the Act, saying there was no guarantee the police force would be able to afford all of the compensation. The force faces £134m budget cuts in the next five years. It added that J Sainsbury was one of a number of large companies that had chosen not to submit any compensation claims. Tesco has submitted more than 20 claims for compensation to Manchester police, including one for £40-worth of looted stock.

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Motorway speed limit to be raised

 

The speed limit on Britain’s motorways is set to rise to 80mph but with a big expansion in the number 20mph zones in cities and towns, The Independent has learnt. As part of a deal negotiated with the Liberal Democrats the Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond is expected to announce the Government’s intention to bring in the new speed limit at the Conservative conference. Ministers will then consult on the proposal later in the year along with plans to significantly expand the number of areas in Britain covered by 20mph zones.

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Treasure hunters eye huge shipwreck haul

 

When the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreck haul ever. Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday confirmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa and cited official documents indicating the ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver coins and bullion when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic some 490km off the Irish coast. That's worth about $200m today, which would make it history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said. "We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- the location and identification of the target shipwreck - and now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase," Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement. "Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo." Recovery is expected to begin next spring. After a tender process the British government awarded Odyssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and under the agreement Odyssey will retain 80% of the silver bullion salvaged from the wreck. The 125m Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gairsoppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Galway, Ireland. It never made it, succumbing to a U-boat's torpedo in the contested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on board, only one survived. The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 4 700m below the surface, but Odyssey is insisting that won't prevent a full cargo recovery. "We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said. "This should enable us to unload cargo through the hatches as would happen with a floating ship alongside a cargo terminal." Odyssey, a world leader in deep-ocean exploration, recently conducted remotely operated vehicles from its main ship, the Odyssey Explorer, to inspect the shipwreck. It said it acquired still and video imagery from the site which were used to confirm the identify and evaluate the condition of the Gairsoppa.

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Saudi women given right to vote

 

Saudi Arabia will allow women to stand for election and vote, the king announced on Sunday, in a significant policy shift in the conservative Islamic kingdowm. In a five-minute speech, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud said women will also take part in the next session of the unelected, advisory Shura Council, which vets legislation but has no binding powers. "Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama (clerics) and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from the next term," he said in a speech delivered to the advisory body. "Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote." Women's rights are regarded as a litmus test for the government's appetite for social and political reform. Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict version of Islamic law that enforces the segregation of the sexes. "This is great news," said Wajeha al-Huwaider, a Saudi writer and women's rights activist. "Women's voices will finally be heard. "Now it is time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function, to live a normal life without male guardians."

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Settling in Britain is a privilege not a right

 

THE following is the summary of a speech delivered on September 15, 2011, by Britain’s Immigration Minister Damian Green at the Centre for Policy Studies [see full speech]. The speech is an indicator of the possible policy changes that will come out of the consultation currently underway into the reform of family migration. The consultation opened on July 13, 2011, and will close on October 6, 2011. It is important that as migrants to this country, we take time out to respond to this consultation as judging from Green’s speech it will have far reaching consequences for immigrants . Some of the proposals on the table include the following: # Whilst recognising that marriage is a personal decision, it is argued that it has implications on the wider society and therefore the spouse seeking settlement will be expected to demonstrate that they have integrated into British society. It is proposed to increase the probationary period for a non-EEA spouse or partner to apply for settlement from two to five years. It is argued that, this will allow additional time to integrate into British life and give authorities a longer period in which to test the genuineness of the relationship before permanent residence in the UK is granted on the basis of it. Ministers also believe this will also make the route less attractive to those whose sole purpose is to gain settlement in Britain. It is also argued that extending the probationary period will reduce the burden to the taxpayer by postponing access to non-contributory benefits like income support. # Immediate settlement for adult dependents will be stopped. Currently under paragraph 317 of the immigration rules, a sponsor who is settled in the UK can sponsor adult dependents in certain circumstances. Instead, a probationary period of five years will be introduced before they can apply for settlement. As a result, their in-country application for settlement will be subject to meeting the English language skills requirement. # In fact the English language test is to be extended to all adult family migrants under 65 as well as dependents aged 16 and 17. The justification Green uses for this is the rather shock data that in one year, 2009-10, the Department of Work and Pensions spent £2.6 million on telephone interpreting services and nearly £400,000 on document translation. # The outcome of the consultation is likely to come up with a minimum maintenance threshold. Presently, it has been safe to argue that if the income meets the income support threshold then it demonstrates sufficiently that they can be accommodated and maintained without recourse to public funds. The Migration Advisory Committee has been tasked to come up with a new minimum income threshold for sponsors of dependents for maintenance and accommodation. The new threshold will take into account the number and age of the dependents sponsored. # It looks like third party support is on its way out except in compelling and compassionate circumstances. Presently, it has been possible to show that a third party will assist with the maintenance requirements. But Green argues that it is not easy for the UK Border Agency to verify this. # The dependents of points-based migrants are to face a probationary period increase of two to five years before settlement. # For some time now, there has been an expression of dissatisfaction by the UK Border Agency about the right of appeal in family visit visa matters. It will come as a surprise given what appears to be routine refusals from the Pretoria entry clearance team that a staggering 73% of the family visits applications are granted. Green argues that the tax payer has to foot the bill for the right of appeal where people produce better evidence than they could have produced at the initial application stage. His argument is reinforced by the statics that family visit appeals made up 40% of all immigration appeals and that it cost the taxpayer around £40 million a year. About 63% of the family visits matters are allowed on appeal. The consultation proposes to end the right of appeal and argues that one can submit a new application instead. As I stated above, it is a good idea to read the consultation and respond to it. At first blush, the 77-page consultation document can appear daunting but it does provide a useful insight into where this government intends to take its immigration policy

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THE Queen gave Prince William the go-ahead to rip up the official guest list for his wedding to Kate Middleton

Prince William (pic: Handout)

THE Queen gave Prince William the go-ahead to rip up the official guest list for his wedding to Kate Middleton, he has revealed.

He told how he never knew a soul on the official paper of hundreds of people and was not happy with the line-up.

“They said: ‘These are the people we should invite’. I looked at it in absolute horror and said: ‘I think we should start again’.”

The 29-year-old said: “I came into the first wedding meeting, post-engagement. And I was given this official list of 777 names, dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people, and not one person I knew.

William told how he then approached the Queen for help. He added: “I rang her up the next day and said: ‘Do we need to be doing this?’

“And she said: ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there’. And she told me to bin the list.

“She told me there are certain times when you have to strike the right balance.”

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Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas makes UN statehood bid

 

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has submitted his bid to the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state. To rapturous applause in the General Assembly, he urged the Security Council to back a state with pre-1967 borders. He said the Palestinians had entered negotiations with Israel with sincere intentions, but blamed the building of Jewish settlements for their failure. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he was reaching out to Palestinians and blamed them for refusing to negotiate. "I continue to hope that President Abbas will be my partner in peace," he said in his speech in New York. "Let's meet here today in the United Nations. Who's there to stop us?" Mr Netanyahu added that the core of the conflict was not settlements but the refusal of the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. Hours after receiving it, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon transmitted the Palestinian request to the Security Council. Israel and the US say a Palestinian state can only be achieved through talks with Israel - not through UN resolutions. 'Come to peace' President Barack Obama told Mr Abbas on Thursday that the US would use its UN Security Council veto to block the move. Continue reading the main story Analysis Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor, New York Some delegations here at the UN in New York gave Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas a standing ovation - they were clapping and even whistling in support. That is significant because if it comes to a vote in the Security Council - and if the Americans veto it - Palestinians have a Plan B. That Plan B is to go to the General Assembly - where there are no vetoes - and get enhanced status, not full membership but something better than they have now. The Palestinians say they want to negotiate but not in the way they have negotiated before - there has to be clear parameters and a timetable. The Palestinian point is that since 18 years of negotiation has not worked, let's try something new. "I call upon the distinguished members of the Security Council to vote in favour of our full membership," he told the General Assembly, in what was for him an unusually impassioned speech. He added that he hoped for swift backing. Many delegates gave him a standing ovation. "I also appeal to the states that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to do so." "The time has come for my courageous and proud people, after decades of displacement and colonial occupation and ceaseless suffering, to live like other peoples of the earth, free in a sovereign and independent homeland," he said. He urged Israel to "come to peace". And he said the building of Jewish settlements was "the primary cause for the failure of the peace process". A spokesman for the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, criticised the speech. Salah Bardawil said Mr Abbas had deviated from the aspirations of the Palestinian people by accepting the 1967 borders, which he said left 80% of Palestinian land inside Israel. 'Future and destiny' Meanwhile in the West Bank, crowds roared their approval as Mr Abbas demanded UN acceptance of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders. Continue reading the main story Middle East viewpoints Analyst Yezid Sayigh argues that US and Israeli policies have forced the Palestinians to resort to requesting full UN membership. Israeli commentator Yossi Klein Halevi argues that the Palestinians need to convince the Israelis that any state would not be a threat. "With our souls, with our blood, we will defend Palestine," they said. Mr Abbas had called for peaceful marches in support of his initiative, but some clashes were reported: One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops during clashes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, Palestinian sources say At the Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli troops fired tear gas on stone-throwing Palestinian youths In the village of Nabi Saleh, protesters burned Israeli flags and pictures of President Obama The process began with Mr Abbas presenting a written request for a State of Palestine to be admitted as a full UN member state to the UN secretary general. The BBC's Kim Ghattas at the UN says that until the last minute Western diplomats tried and failed to stop the Palestinians making the request. Even now, efforts are under way to restart direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians in an attempt to defuse tensions, our correspondent says. The Security Council will examine it and vote on the request. In order to pass, it would need the backing of nine out of 15 council members, with no vetoes from the permanent members. A Security Council vote could take weeks to come about and the US may not even need to exercise its veto - Washington and Israel have been lobbying council members to either vote against the Palestinian plan or abstain. Continue reading the main story Palestinian UN membership bid Palestinians currently have permanent observer entity status at the UN They are represented by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Officials now want an upgrade so a state of Palestine has full member status at the UN They seek recognition on 1967 borders - in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Enhanced observer member status could be an interim option Q&A: Palestinians' UN statehood plans Why Obama has turned towards Israel French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged a compromise, suggesting the General Assembly give the Palestinians enhanced status as a non-member state to allow a clear timeline for talks - a month to start negotiations, six months to deal with borders and security and a year to finalise a "definitive agreement". A vote on enhanced status - enjoyed by others such as the Vatican - would not require a Security Council recommendation but a simple majority in the General Assembly, where no veto is possible. Currently the Palestinians have observer status at the UN. The "Quartet" of US, European, Russian and UN mediators has been working on reaching a framework agreement to restart talks, based on Mr Obama's vision of borders fashioned from Israel's pre-1967 boundary, with agreed land swaps.

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Scottish supermarkets face extra tax on selling alcohol

 

Plans to hike business rates for major retailers of alcohol and tobacco in Scotland could see supermarkets pay around £110 million in tax over the next three years.   Finance Secretary John Swinney announced the new levy yesterday, as part of the Scottish government’s Spending Review.   Swinney said the review contained “tough choices, because of the cuts from Westminster that go too far, too fast”.   “We have had to restrict pay costs, reluctantly implement pensions increases on public sector staff, and maximise the income gained from asset sales,” he said.   He outlined that part of the extra revenue brought in would come from a tax on major retailers who sell alcohol and tobacco.   The measure was a surprise announcement, as during the last parliament a proposal to introduce a “Tesco tax” was voted down and it was not included the SNP’s manifesto.   Scottish Retail Consortium director Ian Shearer said: “This new tax is a blatant fund-raising exercise which is illogical and discriminatory. It targets a part of the retail sector which funds Drinkaware, rigorously prevents under-age sales with Challenge 25 and has led the way on clear alcohol labelling, giving it an exemplary record on the sale of alcohol and tobacco.   “Supermarket margins are already cut to the bone as stores compete to offer the best deals to cash-strapped consumers. The UK already has some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. This tax would make it harder for food retailers to keep prices down for customers, and makes Scotland a less attractive place to do business, invest and create jobs.”   The WSTA's Jeremy Beadles said he was "disappointed" the meaure had been announced with no consultation.   "The tax on large retailers will place an additional burden on Scottish businesses and push the price up for all consumers regardless of whether they consume alcohol at all,” he added.   “At a time of financial constraint, when many businesses in Scotland are already feeling the pinch and paying increase rates, we do not believe that punishing responsible consumers in Scotland with another tax is either fair or justified.”     Minimum alcohol unit pricing could become as reality north of the border by next summer, although the price has not yet been set. The Scottish government claims it is the “most effective and efficient way” of reducing consumption and alcohol related harm.

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Bloody Sunday family rejects payout

 

Relatives of one of the Bloody Sunday victims have firmly rejected any offer of Government compensation. Sisters Linda and Kate Nash, whose teenage brother William was among 14 men who died after paratroopers opened fire on civil rights protesters in Londonderry in January 1972, said: "I find it repulsive." The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that moves are under way to compensate the families following representation from solicitors acting on behalf of some of the relatives. The Nash sisters said they would not take money for personal financial gain: "Not under any circumstances will I ever accept money for the loss of my brother. "I find it repulsive, taking anything from the MoD. If the MoD wants to set up bursaries they can, but not in my brother's name," Ms Nash said. Prime Minister David Cameron has already apologised to victims and said the shootings were wrong. An MOD spokesman said: "We acknowledge the pain felt by these families for nearly 40 years, and that members of the armed forces acted wrongly. For that, the Government is deeply sorry. We are in contact with the families' solicitors and where there is a legal liability to pay compensation, we will do so." Lord Saville drew up a landmark report last year which criticised the Army over the killings. His panel ruled that the Army fired first and without provocation. It found that all 14 who died and the others who were injured almost four decades ago were unarmed and completely innocent. The MoD's move followed a letter sent to the Prime Minister by solicitors for the families, asking what he was going to do about Bloody Sunday. He described the killings as unjustified and unjustifiable. Defining who would be eligible for compensation could be complicated as many immediate family members are already dead. Relatives received a small payment worth a few hundred pounds from the MOD, without admitting liability, shortly after the event.

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Scotland Yard drops Official Secrets Act bid against Guardian

 

Scotland Yard had intended to take the Guardian newspaper to court on Friday in an attempt to force the newspaper into revealing how it obtained information that missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s mobile phone had been hacked. However, following discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the force has abandoned its application for production orders against the newspaper. The decision comes following heavy criticism of the force’s attempt to make the Guardian, and one of its journalists, hand over information which would have revealed the source of many of the newspaper’s phone hacking stories. Various MPs, including the shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis, questioned the Yard’s attempt. While many national newspapers carried leading articles condemning the Metropolitan Police’s apparent attack on press freedom. And today the former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith told the Daily Telegraph that the force’s decision to invoke the Official Secrets Act was “unusual” and could threaten press freedom.

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NAVY recruit flipped and killed an officer in a gun rampage on a nuclear sub after he was told off for his cleaning work.

Ryan Donovan, 23, fired his SA80 semi-automatic rifle after his hopes of a voyage on a surface ship were dashed as punishment for his shoddy work.

He was also obsessed with violent video games and told a friend he wanted to carry out a Grand Theft Auto-style "kill frenzy".

Yesterday the HMS Astute able seaman was jailed for life by a judge who heard he opened fire on two superiors he blamed — only to miss.

 

Victim ... Ian Molyneux 
with wife Gill

 

The shots were heard by Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, 36, who rushed to tackle him during a goodwill visit by the sub to Southampton in April.

Donovan murdered him with a bullet to the head, then stepped over his body to the control room.

There he wounded Lt Cdr Christopher Hodge, 45, in the stomach before being wrestled to the ground by Southampton council leader Royston Smith and chief executive Alistair Neill — who were touring the sub.

Three days earlier Donovan of Dartford, Kent, disobeyed a direct order to clean a section of the sub after it failed inspections, Winchester Crown Court heard.

 

Hero ... Royston Smith, right, on sub visit

 

Gangsta rap fan Donovan — who called himself Reggie Moondog — told a fellow sailor hours before his rampage: "I'm going to kill somebody. I'm not f****** kidding, and then watch the news."

He admitted murder and attempted murder and was caged for a minimum of 25 years. The widow of the dead officer — a dad of four — wept just feet away.

Outside court Gill Molyneux paid tribute to her Weapons Engineer Officer husband, describing him as "my hero and true love".

 

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Dale Farm Eviction: Clashes Expected Between Bailiffs And Residents As Eviction Begins

 

Hundreds of travellers have said they will barricade themselves inside the UK's biggest illegal camp as angry clashes are expected between bailiffs, residents and activists. Residents at Dale Farm in Basildon, Essex, and their supporters are set to be evicted after losing a decade-long legal fight over unauthorised development. Teams of bailiffs are expected at the former scrapyard's front gate to begin forcibly ejecting them. Essex Police and riot-trained colleagues from across the country are also expected, to ensure the eviction of some 50 homes is conducted peacefully. Half of the six-acre site, which has planning consent, will remain. As of this morning Basildon Council had not cut the electricity supply to the site. Residents had feared bailiffs would move in at first light. Supporters closed the gate after 11pm yesterday and built a barricade behind it and parked a van to block the way. Resident Mary McCarthy said: "I don't intend to go anywhere, I'm staying here. "I've faced constant evictions throughout my life and now I'm determined to stay put." Many residents have moved their caravans on to the neighbouring legal site. Activists have chained themselves to barricades at the site, including one who is chained by the neck. They have told Sky News they would not be leaving unless they were forced out. ACTIVIST: WE WILL DO ALL WE CAN TO STOP EVICTION Marie McCarthy, a resident at the site, told Sky News it was "a big scrapyard that is of no use to anyone else". "The Government is not going to ruin our culture," she said. "This is the way we want to live. "Why should we be run off our land? We never knew we were breaking the law - we thought this was a good thing to do because we stopped going onto people's grounds." Activists Dean, 29, and Emma, 18, have handcuffed themselves to a pole concreted inside a barrel. Lying on mattresses, the pair said they were prepared to stay as "long as it takes". The children of Dale Farm hold pictures of themselves up in protest The families have constantly evaded eviction and claim they have nowhere else to go. They insist that their human rights are being breached. Their supporters include the United Nations and Amnesty International. But last month a High Court judge backed Basildon council and local residents and ruled that the eviction must go ahead.

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Former MI6 chief says ministers approved Gaddafi links

 

Sir Richard Dearlove, who was head of MI6 when British agents helped to send Muammar Gaddafi's opponents back to Libya, where they were tortured, said on Thursday that intelligence co-operation with countries with poor human rights records had always been cleared by ministers. "It has always been pretty clear that our governments in the UK have accepted that danger and difficulty and have given political clearance for that sort of co-operation," he told a meeting of the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy international thinktank. Whitehall officials have already insisted that intelligence cooperation with Gaddafi's Libya was authorised by ministers. However, Labour ministers at the time, including Tony Blair and Jack Straw, have distanced themselves from MI6's co-operation with Gaddafi's security services, as has Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller, then head of MI5. Dearlove said that MI6's co-operation with Gaddafi's regime against extremism was "uncomfortable" and "pragmatic". But he denied MI6 enjoyed a "cosy" relationship with the regime. He said that MI6 had had "phenomenal" success in disarming Libya, which had succeeded in acquiring the infrastructure needed to begin a nuclear weapons programme from the rogue Pakistani scientist, AQ Khan. "I resent the suggestion the relationship with Gaddafi was cosy," he said. "It was not a cosy relationship, it was a pragmatic one." Dearlove added: "It was a political decision, having very significantly disarmed Libya, for the government to co-operate with Libya on Islamist terrorism. The whole relationship was one of serious calculation about where the overall balance of our national interests stood." Papers found abandoned in the Tripoli offices of Moussa Koussa, Gaddafi's former foreign minister and intelligence chief, showed how MI6 was involved in sending suspected extremists back to Libya. They included Abdul Hakim Belhaj, a former prominent member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which had links with al-Qaida, and who is now military commander in the Libyan capital. Referring to the forthcoming Gibson inquiry into allegations that British security and intelligence agencies colluded in the torture and abuse of terror suspects, Dearlove said that he should not say more about co-operation with countries which did not share the UK's views about human rights. Dearlove said he was surprised by the relative failure of violent Islamism to make a more lasting political impact. North Africa and the Middle East showed al-Qaida had failed to achieve the long-term political impact many people had predicted at the time of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He said the terrorist network appeared to be "on the back foot" and was struggling to mount operations in the developed world. "I think it faces an issue of credibility. It badly needs to demonstrate to its sympathisers and its core membership that it can pull off something really big," he said. He said he believed al-Qaida had made a "serious tactical error" in taking on the Americans in Iraq when they would have been better off trying to mount more 9/11-style attacks. "I think it was a vision of taking on the US military. Once the US military got its act together, it came out of that confrontation very badly," he said. He insisted the west had been right to respond in the way it did to the events of 9/11, even though it resulted in the radicalisation of many Muslims. "Confronting al-Qaida was a confrontation of beliefs and values. I think it was the right thing to do, despite the risks, to come out on the front foot to meet that threat militantly," he said.

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Cocaine bag burst kills smuggler

 

A Colombian woman made a 10,300km flight carrying half a kilogram of cocaine in her stomach - and died at Auckland Hospital 37 minutes after one of the 26 packages of the drug leaked into her body. Sorlinda Arirtizabel Vega, 37, arrived in Auckland from Buenos Aires in Argentina on Tuesday morning. She cleared Customs without any problems and travelled into the city with her partner and children. But by early Wednesday morning, Mrs Vega was dead. She was admitted to the emergency department at Auckland Hospital at 5.44am on Wednesday, and was declared dead at 6.21am. The Herald has learned her partner took her to the hospital and then left to go and see to their children. He was back with Mrs Vega when police arrived, but it is unclear whether he was there when she died. "The woman was unable to be revived, despite vigorous resuscitation, following cardiac arrest," a hospital spokeswoman said. Police were called to the hospital, as is procedure with a sudden death. During a post mortem examination, doctors found at least 26 20g packages filled with a white substance believed to be cocaine. "That is more than half a kilo which, if established to be cocaine, would have had an estimated street value of up to $175,000," said Detective Inspector Scott Beard. He said at least one of the packages had burst inside Mrs Vega, but would not be drawn on what material they were made of. "It went into her body and her body couldn't cope," he said. "There are always serious risks to health when smuggling drugs internally, and this woman has paid with her life." Mr Beard said Mrs Vega was in Auckland on holiday, not for the Rugby World Cup. She travelled to New Zealand with family members. Mr Beard would not be drawn on who those family members were but said they were in Auckland and not being held by police. He said they would be spoken to and police were also looking into whether Mrs Vega had any links with local organised crime groups. She came through Customs at Auckland Airport with no problems, and Mr Beard said she was the first person this year to be caught carrying drugs internally. Emergency doctor Paul Quigley told 3 News there was no way Mrs Vega could have survived. "She had the equivalent of 80 doses of cocaine all in one go, so she would have developed extreme high blood pressure and may have had a stroke and a heart attack," he said. "She may have got a degree of anxiety at first, felt shaky, but it is likely she would have gone into cardiac arrest and collapsed very rapidly." Mrs Vega's death has been referred to the coroner but Mr Beard said a police investigation was continuing.

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Killer Kenneth Noye was secretly moved to a Category B Lowdham Grange

The Notorious gangland boss killed a police officer and brutally stabbed a motorist to death during a road rage attack.

Caged for life in 2000, Noye also reportedly hatched an escape plot during his time at top-security HMP Whitemoor.

Yet prison life has just got a whole lot easier for the 64-year-old multi-millionaire.

He was transferred in secret yesterday morning from Whitemoor to the Category B Lowdham Grange – one of the cushiest prisons in Britain.

Inmates say it is more like a holiday camp than a prison, and pampered Noye will enjoy a cell to himself, with a TV, PlayStation, fridge and an en-suite shower.

Insiders say it will prepare him for his release – which may come in less than four years’ time.

The family of Stephen Cameron, 21 – who was stabbed to death by Noye during a row on an M25 roundabout in 1996 – are disgusted by the move.

His dad Ken, 64, fumed: “He is still a very dangerous man. A leopard never changes its spots. But now he’s going to get a softer time inside.”

Speaking at his home in Norfolk, he went on: “They are moving him to a softer prison and didn’t even let us know. It’s outrageous. Out of courtesy I would hope we would have been notified. He’s got around three-and-a-half years to go in prison. Surely this is too early to de-categorise him to Category B?” He added: “With his money and contacts it must make it easier for him to attempt to escape.”

Prison officers at Whitemoor were given a secret briefing at 7am yesterday. Noye was then placed in a van where he was cuffed to a guard and driven from Cambridgeshire to Nottinghamshire.

Six years ago he was moved to another jail after officers reportedly foiled an apparent escape plot. Noye is said to have arranged for a mobile phone – which he planned to use in his breakout attempt – to be smuggled into Whitemoor in a box of Weetabix.

But his bid was thwarted and he was transferred under armed guard to an escape-proof fortress in Full Sutton prison in York.

The gangland boss was later moved back to Whitemoor and at first was held inside the Special Secure Unit due to his exceptional risk factor.

But for the last five years sources say Noye has been a model prisoner. He was moved out of the secure unit and lived on Bravo B Wing where he was top dog.

A source said: “He was the king of the castle. Nothing went on in that prison without him knowing. He was friends with everyone at Whitemoor – the Turks, the Russians, not so much the Muslim gangs, but they respected him.

“He is an old-school villain with lots of money and connections. Nobody messes with him. There was trouble a few years ago between a few lads from Manchester and a group from Liverpool. Noye had a word with them and after that there was no more fighting between them. The guards love him. He’s polite and respectful and good as gold.

“He was looking forward to getting out of Whitemoor. He called it a toilet. The prison he’s gone to is much softer.

“He’s seeing it as progress to eventually being released.”

Noye, a notorious figure in Britain’s underworld for decades, was involved in the £26million Brink’s-Mat gold bullion heist in 1983.

Policeman John Fordham, 45, was stabbed to death by Noye while carrying out undercover surveillance in the grounds of his home in West Kingsdown, Kent, in 1985.

However, Noye was acquitted of murder on grounds of self-defence.

In 1986, he was jailed for 14 years for handling the stolen Brink’s-Mat gold but was released in 1994.

Two years later, he fled the UK after fatally stabbing Stephen Cameron by the M25.

He was eventually caught in Spain in 1998, deported back to Britain and convicted of murder. In March Noye lost an appeal against his conviction.

The Prison Service said: “We do not comment on the location of individual prisoners.”

All mod cons at cushy Grange jail

LOWDHAM Grange is said by former prisoners to be more like a holiday camp than a prison.

Inmates at high security ­Category A jails such as Whitemoor or ­Wakefield can only dream of the perks enjoyed by its prisoners.

Convicted animal rights activists, who waged a campaign to shut down a guinea pig farm, described their spell at Lowdham in 2006 as “like a stay in Butlin’s”.

The jail consists mainly of single cells. The luckiest lags even get their own ensuite showers.

It has workshops, ­education and training in areas such as bricklaying, plumbing, ­electronics, painting and decorating and ­industrial cleaning.Prisoners get paid £2 a day for working and £1.40 per session of education they sign up for.

Noye will get a cell with a Playstation and TV, fridge, power points, his own bedding and clothes for £1 per week.

If he fancies taking up a hobby, he will be supplied with all the kit.

Most of the prisoners can make phone calls from landlines in their cells if they submit a list of numbers for approval.

It is yet to be seen if Noye will be allowed this – it could potentially allow him to run his business from his cell.

Verdict: Criminal law expert Max Gold says: “Prisoner categorisation depends on the reports prepared on inmates, and each decision is made on an individual basis.

“In Noye’s case they have clearly decided he is less of a risk than in the past. If he breaks any rules in his new jail, he can be upgraded back to Category A and will lose his privileges.”

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Soldiers may face Mousa prosecution

 

British soldiers could face a fresh prosecution over the brutal death of an Iraqi civilian after a scathing report condemned the "shameful" abuse of prisoners in UK custody. A landmark public inquiry concluded that father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, died after an "appalling episode of serious gratuitous violence" meted out by members of 1st Battalion the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (1QLR). Inquiry chairman Sir William Gage said a number of British officers who could have stopped the abuse, including 1QLR's former commanding officer Colonel Jorge Mendonca, bore a "heavy responsibility" for the "grave and shameful events". He also strongly criticised the "corporate failure" by the Ministry of Defence that led to "conditioning" techniques banned by the UK in 1972, including hooding and making prisoners stand in painful stress positions, being used by soldiers in Iraq. The £13 million public inquiry, which has published its 1,400-page final report, condemned the "lack of moral courage to report abuse" within Preston-based 1QLR. It named 19 soldiers who assaulted Mr Mousa and nine Iraqis detained with him, and found that many others, including several officers, must have known what was happening. The damning report said the violence could not be described as a "one-off" because of evidence that 1QLR troops abused and mistreated Iraqi civilians on other occasions. Lawyers for Mr Mousa's family called for the soldiers responsible for his death to face charges in the light of the findings. Seven members of 1QLR, including Col Mendonca, faced allegations relating to the mistreatment of the detainees at a high-profile court martial in 2006-07. The trial ended with them all cleared, apart from Corporal Donald Payne, who became the first member of the British armed forces convicted of a war crime when he pleaded guilty to inhumanely treating civilians. Payne was acquitted of manslaughter. The legal team for Mr Mousa's relatives and the other detainees believe that evidence in the inquiry's report could form the basis for a new prosecution. Sapna Malik, from law firm Leigh Day and Co, said: "In light of the cogent and serious findings by Sir William Gage, we now expect that the military and civilian prosecuting authorities of this country will act to ensure that justice is done." The Crown Prosecution Service said the inquiry's report had not been referred to it. The Service Prosecuting Authority, which brings military prosecutions, was not available for comment.

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talkSPORt to be broadcast to British troops stationed overseas

 

talkSPORT commentary on the Rugby World Cup 2011 is to be broadcast to British soldiers serving overseas, the British Forces Broadcasting Service has announced. Coverage commences on September 9 and will enable troops stationed in more than 20 countries; including Afghanistan, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, to keep up to date with all the games as they are played. England legend Brian Moore, aka The Pit Bull, will be heading up talkSPORT's coverage for the tournament alongside David Campese. He said: “The Rugby World Cup is a massive event and is sure to be a fantastic spectacle – I’m really pleased to be supporting our brave troops abroad.” BFBS Controller Nicky Ness said: “I am delighted that the BFBS and talkSPORT partnership now extends to Rugby World Cup coverage.  This tournament is really important to the armed forces community for whom sport is crucial part of life.  The fact that our troops will be able to listen on the front line and in far flung corners of the world will make a real difference to morale.

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Guardian data confirms courts opt for tougher punishments, and shows the demographic of those charged

The courts are handing down prison sentences to convicted rioters that are on average 25% longer than normal, according to an exclusive Guardian analysis of 1,000 riot-related cases dealt with so far by magistrates.

The data proves for the first time that the handful of high-profile individual cases – including a four-year sentence for inciting disorder on Facebook – are indicative of a more punitive general trend.

This unprecedented access to national court results reveals that 70% of defendants have been remanded in custody to await crown court trial, fuelling a surge in the prison population, which reached a record high of 86,608 in England and Wales. The Guardian's data also shows that 56 defendants of the 80 who have already been sentenced by magistrates were given immediate prison terms. This 70% rate of imprisonment compares with a "normal" rate of just 2% in magistrates courts.

More than half those imprisoned were charged with theft or handling stolen goods, receiving an average of 5.1 months. This is 25% longer than the average custodial sentence for these crimes of 4.1 months seen in courts during 2010, according to Ministry of Justice statistics. Public order offences are leading to sentences 33% longer than normal and those convicted of assaulting police officers have been jailed for 40% longer than usual.

The results reflect the limited sentencing powers of the magistrates courts, which cannot pass a sentence of more than six months for an individual offence. The Guardian analysis shows that the average prison sentence handed out by the magistrates to rioters so far is five months. This is double the usual prison sentence in the magistrates courts of 2.5 months, but that average includes many other more minor offences, including motoring offences.

Prison governors said that the huge 677-strong rise in jail numbers over the last week sparked by this more punitive approach had pitched the prison system into "an unprecedented situation". Emergency measures had been agreed with Prison Service chiefs in case the rapid rise in inmate numbers continued unabated over the next fortnight.

The Prison Governors Association said medium- to long-term measures included opening enough new and refurbished jail accommodation to avoid the normal emergency measure of using police cells.

The governors said they were confident the situation could be managed safely.

The record prison numbers are putting jails and young offender institutions under increasing pressure: there are only 1,485 spare places in the system before prison governors have to put out the "jail full" signs.

Prison Service chiefs are expected to outline the contingency measures , including increased overcrowding by doubling and even trebling inmates in cells designed for single occupation.

Prison governors had already warned that the riots had put further strains on a stretched prison system, with inmates moved out of London and Manchester to create space for rioters jailed or remanded in custody awaiting trial.

The Ministry of Justice said that its latest figures, up to noon on Wednesday, showed 1,297 people had appeared before magistrates charged with riot-related offences. A total of 772 had been remanded in custody, compared with the "normal" remand rate for serious offences of 10%.

"This is causing massive problems for prisons," said Harry Fletcher, of Napo, the probation officers' union. "There are so many of them coming through the system, it is causing considerable problems. When people are being held so far from home it causes real difficulties for their families." He said Nottingham jail alone had been sent a group of 30 prisoners from London this week.

The total prison population on Friday last week stood at 85,931, which included 607 immigration detainees. As space runs out so the potential for work, education or rehabilitation will be "zero", claims Fletcher.

The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, will be hoping that the developing pressures on the prison system are purely temporary, otherwise they have the capacity to derail his plans to stabilise the jail population and bring in his "rehabilitation revolution". The normal pressure valve for the prison system when it comes close to capacity is Operation Safeguard, which involves emergency use of police cells to house prisoners. But that option is now closed off as forces stay prepared for any further disturbances.

In the medium term the Prison Service may be able to add portable accommodation within existing jails, and no doubt in the longer term the prospect of a new prison ship could be raised. The service has already announced plans to close two small jails, Latchmere House in London and Brockhill prison, at Redditch, Worcestershire, next month. One option could be to postpone these closures.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said that there were enough places for those being sent to prison, including in young offender institutions, following the riots: "There is substantial capacity in the prison system. We will provide prison places for those committed to custody by the courts. We are developing contingencies should exceptional pressure be placed on the prison estate."

 

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The Prime Minister is under renewed pressure to explain his decision to hire Andy Coulson after new allegations emerged over the phone hacking scandal.

The increased pressure comes after the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) select committee published a letter by the paper's former royal editor in 2007 claiming hacking was "widely discussed" by journalists in editorial conferences.
It is likely that the chairman of News International James Murdoch will be recalled to give evidence to the committee as a result of the claim.
Mr Murdoch gave evidence to the CMS committee in July, and told MPs he was "not aware" of an email suggesting phone hacking was not limited to one reporter at the NOTW.
The document suggests the issue frequently came up at the paper's editorial meetings until any further mention of the subject was banned.

Names of other journalists were blacked out in the letter
The letter was written by ex-royal editor Clive Goodman who was jailed in January 2007 along with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for hacking royal aides' phones.
Goodman penned the document in March of that year as he appealed against his dismissal from the News Of The World (NOTW).
Labour MP Tom Watson described the latest claims as "devastating" and said they suggested previous evidence given by Mr Coulson to the committee was "at best misleading and probably deceptive".
JAMES MURDOCH COMMITTEE EVIDENCE: JULY 19, 2011

Despite resigning as the NOTW's editor in 2007, Mr Coulson has consistently maintained he had been unaware of the practice, claiming it was confined to one "rogue" reporter, Goodman.
The disclosure is potentially highly embarrassing for David Cameron who made Mr Coulson his director of communications after he quit the NOTW.
Mr Cameron has said he will make a "profound apology" if it turns out the former editor - who has already been questioned by police - lied to him about his involvement when he gave him the job.


Labour leader Ed Miliband said the latest evidence showed what a "catastrophic" judgment it had been for Mr Cameron to take his spin chief with him into Downing Street. Mr Coulson resigned last January.
A Downing Street spokesman said it would be "inappropriate" to comment, adding: "The Prime Minister has made his thoughts on Andy Coulson clear."

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As he fought to be heard, there were cries of 'How was your holiday?' and 'Why are you here three days late

Boris Johnson faced furious heckling from residents clearing up wrecked parts of south London as he returned from holiday to try tosalvage his administration's battered reputation for competence.

Clutching a bright green broom, the Mayor proclaimed the "real spirit of London" during a walkabout in some of the worst affected parts of the capital. But he faced a barrage of angry taunts and questions from people helping the clean-up operation in Clapham. "Why are you here now," shouted one. "It's too late."

Standing next to him, the grim-faced Home Secretary, Theresa May, looked on uncomfortably – before eventually walking off and deserting the Mayor while he was still in mid-flow

 

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Prince Harry fly cattle-class

William, Kate, and Harry reportedly paid their own flight charges.

While, the couple travelled with Flybe from Manchester, Harry used easyJet to get him to the Scottish capital and then back to Bristol on Sunday so he could go to the Womad music festival in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, reports the Daily Express .

Flybe's fares for a one-way trip from Edinburgh start at 36 pounds. Harry is thought to have paid 26 pounds each way for his easyJet tickets.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace confirmed that taxpayers footed the bill for the Queen to fly from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and back under a convention that the public pays for her travel between residences.

Prince Charles and Camilla are understood to have charged their journey to the public after travelling down from their Highland hide- away, Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate.

Taxpayers forked out for Princess Anne to travel up to Scotland because she was attending an Edinburgh University engagement.

 

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The Duchess of Cambridge has been given SAS training to protect her from any kidnap threats, it has been claimed.

Reports suggested the 29-year-old took the intensive personal protection programme recently amid fears she has become a kidnap target.
Sources claimed the training was undertaken because of Kate Middleton's ever increasing profile following her royal wedding to Prince William, 29.
While her new status has led to a legion of new fans, officials fear she could become a target for terrorists, abductors and stalkers.
The course, described as “very tough” both physically and mentally, teaches key a range of survival skills.
These include becoming more aware of anything “unusual” in routine surroundings, how to react when attacked and how to build a relationship with any hostage-takers.

Participants are also taught how to drive under pressure and how to create and pass on coded messages to rescuers.
The training, taught by members of the SAS, Scotland Yard’s personal protection squad or MI5 officers, has been taken by other Royals as well as politicians and people who work in some of the world’s dangerous regions.
The Queen, the Duke of Cambridge, and his parents, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and the Prince of Wales, have all taken the training.
The Duke took the course as a 16-year-old at the SAS base in Hereford in 1998. He was taught to fire a submachine gun and bundled into a car in a mock ambush.
"The Palace want to ensure Kate's new status doesn't make her vulnerable to attack,” a source told The Sun.
"She has been well trained in what to do should the unthinkable happen. VIP kidnap protection training teaches how to cope both mentally and physically.
“The mental element involves reacting to unusual situations, such as when there was a stranger in the Queen's bedroom — and she just started talking to him."
The location of her training has not been disclosed. A spokesman for the Duchess was unavailable for comment.

 

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Prince Charles called 'snake-oil salesman' by academic

Prof Edzard Ernst also claimed that the heir to the throne’s concept of “integrated medicine” was a “big smokescreen to smuggle unproven or disproven treatment into the NHS”.
The academic recently stepped down from his post as Britain’s first professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, having narrowly avoided losing his job several years ago over a row with the prince.
But he suggested that his retirement two years early was the “price to pay” for the centre staying open.
Exeter University said: "We are looking to replace Professor Ernst on his retirement with another specialist in Complementary Medicine. We will support that person to raise funds to enable research into CM to continue, but have earmarked around £234,000 to support the centre over the next 12 months."
Clarence House, which has previously claimed that the Prince had no knowledge of the letter sent by his private secretary to Exeter about Prof Ernst, did not wish to comment.

 

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to become 'ambassadors' for British business, undertaking future royal tours to boost the country's commercial interests abroad.

Following the success of their recent tour of North America, where the couple carried several engagements in Los Angeles to highlight British business, Prince William and the Duchess will consider proposals by the Foreign Office of overseas tours aimed at promoting British firms.
A royal aide said: "It is not something that William or Catherine had done before LA, but they have genuinely enjoyed being ambassadors for the UK and flying the flag for British business in America, and it is definitely something they will start to do more of.
"It will not always be about just going to realms in the future. They will now start to visit countries of strategic importance to the United Kingdom with the purpose of meeting the Foreign Office's commercial objectives. Just as the Prince of Wales regularly meets with corporate and environmental leaders during his overseas tours to highlight British trade and investments, so the couple will begin to emulate this approach through the prism of their own interests."
During their three-day visit to California earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess attended an event organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in support of British technology investments and the development of east London's "Tech City" into a world-leading area for technology and software design.
They were also honorary guests at a gala dinner for BAFTA, of which the Prince is patron. During the event, which was attended by Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks, Prince William spoke of his desire to promote emerging young British talent in film and television in Hollywood.

 

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Prince William and Kate Middleton have an open invitation to stay at the family seat in Scotland during this summer so the Queen can ‘get to know’ the new member of the family.

Unlike the older generation, who tend to go up for a few weeks each summer, it is likely the newly-weds will only manage one weekend.
Prince William, who is working as a search and rescue pilot for the RAF in Anglesey, is most likely to join his grandparents at the end of August.
“The Prince has a full time job and is likely to only have time for a long weekend,” said a palace source. “Obviously if he went up his wife would accompany him.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke with royal tradition by not spending some part of their honeymoon at Balmoral - unlike the Queen herself, Princess Anne and Prince Charles.

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Rebekah Brooks' arrest is huge blow for Murdoch

Today's arrest of Rebekah Brooks, who was until Friday the chief executive of News International, represents perhaps the greatest failure to date in the Murdoch-controlled group's campaign for rehabilitating itself.

Because ever since News International and its parent company News Corporation were seriously damaged 13 days ago by the allegation that the phone of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler was hacked at the instigation of the News of the World, News International has been on an explicit mission to demonstrate that Mrs Brooks was innocent of all wrongdoing.

Although Mrs Brooks was editor of the News of the World at the time of the alleged hacking, she has denied all knowledge of it. And she has denied she was aware of other alleged instances of phone hacking or of bribes allegedly paid to the police.

So the thrust of News International's message to the world was that Mrs Brooks was as shocked as everyone else by disclosures that appear to show that there was a culture at the News of the World of systematically breaching proprieties in the pursuit of stories.

Lightning rod?
If she was guilty of anything, said her colleagues, it was of not knowing what her subordinates were doing.

That ignorance while in positions of authority at News International was ultimately enough to persuade her to resign from the company on Friday - many days after there had been widespread calls, including a demand from her friend, the prime minister, for her to go.

But News International was still insisting she had done nothing fundamentally wrong. She was leaving only because she had become a lightning rod for criticism of the company which made it harder for any kind of equilibrium to be restored in the business. Or so her friends insisted.

To put it another way, the company's version of what happened at the News of the World and who was to blame has been implicitly challenged in a fundamental way by the decision of the Metropolitan Police to arrest her on suspicion of alleged involvement in phone hacking and corruption.



We just don't know what's going to happen next”

News International executive
As a company executive said to me, "we just don't know what's going to happen next".

Rupert and Rebekah
Now there are two reasons why News Corporation and News International were so keen to protect Rebekah Brooks.

First is that there is probably no one involved in the business, whose surname isn't Murdoch, who is as close to Rupert Murdoch, News Corp's chairman, as is Rebekah Brooks.

When they are together, he displays a conspicuous affection for her. "Some would say he is almost as close to Rebekah as he is to his children" said one of their colleagues.

And then there is a second reason why her arrest will be a blow both to Rupert Murdoch and to his son, James Murdoch, her immediate boss as head of News Corp's European operations.

Ignorance does not protect
Her ignorance of what happened at the News of the World reinforced their claims that they too had no knowledge of the alleged scale of abuses by the Sunday tabloid, which was closed down only a week ago.

The importance of today's events is that her claimed ignorance did not prevent her being arrested.

The other point about her arrest is that it is something of a shock to the political establishment, since she was on unusually good and friendly terms with three successive prime ministers, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the current tenant of 10 Downing Street, David Cameron.

If, as seems likely, her arrest prevents her from giving public evidence on Tuesday to MPs on the culture, media and sport Commons committee, her many friends in high places may be slightly relieved.

In the current climate of criticism of News International, there will be quite a few powerful people who would be pleased if the brightest possible media light isn't shone on their close and personal relationship with Mrs Brooks.

 

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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned, saying he carried "ultimate responsibility" for the questions the police faced over their links to the phone hacking scandal.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned, saying he carried "ultimate responsibility" for the questions the police faced over their links to the phone hacking scandal.

He had faced criticism for his links with former News of the World journalist turned PR consultant Neil Wallis. Wallis was hired as a PR consultant for the police after he left News International. Sir Paul enjoyed a five week stay worth £12,000 at a luxury health farm for which Wallis was the PR earlier in the year, as he recovered from an illness.

In a statement he said he wanted to put the record "straight".

“I played no role in the letting or management of that contract. I have heard suggestions that we must have suspected the alleged involvement of Mr Wallis in phonehacking… I had no knowledge of the extent of this disgraceful practice, or indeed to the extent of it.”

Sir Paul said: "I may wish we had have done some things differently but I'll not lose any sleep over my personal integrity."

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Evidence has been found suggesting a News of the World reporter tried to buy a phone book containing Royal Family numbers

Evidence has been found suggesting a News of the World reporter tried to buy a phone book containing Royal Family numbers, the BBC understands.

The suggestion is the list, known as the green book, had been stolen and offered for £1,000 by a police officer.

The Metropolitan Police responded by saying the disclosures were part of a deliberate campaign to undermine its inquiry into alleged illegal payments.

The force said it was "extremely concerned and disappointed".

It has emerged that e-mails suggesting police officers were paid for information were uncovered by the News of the World's publisher, News International, in 2007, but not given to the Metropolitan Police until June this year.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said in one of the e-mails Clive Goodman, the paper's disgraced former royal editor, was requesting cash from the then newspaper's editor, Andy Coulson, to buy a confidential directory of the royal family's landline telephone numbers, and all the phone numbers - including mobiles - of the household staff.

Mr Coulson, who was editor of the News of the World from 2003-07, has denied any knowledge of phone hacking and corruption.

'Security at risk'
A source told our editor: "There was clear evidence from the e-mails that the security of the royal family was being put at risk. I was profoundly shocked when I saw them."

The source added that the e-mails were unambiguous signs of criminal activity at the News of the World.

"It is quite astonishing that these e-mails were not handed to the police for investigation when they were first found in 2007," he said.

When News International reviewed these e-mails this year, under new management, they appointed the former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald to assess their content.

He found evidence of very serious criminal activity, our business editor said, and advised News International to pass the e-mails on to investigating officer Cressida Dick at Scotland Yard.

James Murdoch, News International's chairman, has said he was not in the picture about the full extent of wrongdoing at the News of the World until recently, and News International has denied he had any prior knowledge of the e-mails.

Leaks
Former Liberal Democrat leader, Ming Campbell, said it was a worrying development which "must inevitably raise questions as to whether or not at any stage the safety of the royal family was prejudiced".

In other developments:

The Labour leader Ed Miliband said David Cameron's version of events on his employment of former NoW editor Andy Coulson as his official spokesman "did not add up". He said he wanted the PM to explain to the House of Commons apparent inconsistencies.
The BBC understands Rebekah Brooks could be questioned by police as a witness, rather than a suspect. Mrs Brooks has denied having had any knowledge of hacking while she was editor from 2000 to 2003.
The chairman of the media select committee, Tory MP John Whittingdale, said the BSkyB bid should be put on hold in the present "poisonous atmosphere".
Earlier on Monday, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote to media regulator Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading asking for a fresh assessment of the proposed buyout of BSkyB by News Corp after the 168-year-old News of the World was shut down following the damaging allegations of phone hacking at the paper.

He wrote: "I would be grateful if you could indicate whether this development (and/or the events surrounding it) gives you any additional concerns in respect of plurality over and above those raised in your initial report to me on this matter received on 31 December 2010."

Mr Hunt asked if last week's events caused them to reconsider previous advice about the "credibility, sustainability or practicalities of the undertakings offered by News Corporation".


Milly Dowler's mother told Nick Clegg the deleted messages had given them hope she was still alive
Explaining why he had written the letter, Mr Hunt later said: "I'm trying to give the public confidence that I am doing this fairly and impartially... I want to take independent advice, and Ofcom are the expert regulators."

Mr Miliband has demanded the BSkyB bid be referred to the Competition Commission, and said the government could not rely on assurances from News Corp executives in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

Mr Clegg called on Mr Murdoch to "do the decent thing" and reconsider his BSkyB bid.

Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has met the family of Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose phone was allegedly hacked while she was missing in 2002.

Afterwards their solicitor, Mark Lewis, added to the pressure on News International's chief executive and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, when he said the Dowlers thought she should resign.

He said: "She should take responsibility and do the honourable thing and resign. They don't see why Rebekah Brooks should stay in her job."

Mr Clegg said "grotesque journalism practices" had led to public revulsion.

Milly Dowler's parents Bob and Sally Dowler and her sister Gemma told Mr Clegg the deleting of messages on her phone had given them hope she was alive and discussed their hopes for the forthcoming public inquiries.

The government has announced two independent inquiries into the scandal, firstly a judge-led probe into the activities of the NoW and other papers, and the failure of the original police investigation from 2005 into phone-hacking.

The second inquiry will examine the ethics and culture of the press.

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News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown

journalists from across News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown, attempting to access his voicemail and obtaining information from his bank account, his legal file as well as his family's medical records.

There is also evidence that a private investigator used a serving police officer to trawl the police national computer for information about him.

That investigator also targeted another Labour MP who was the subject of hostile inquiries by the News of the World, but it has not confirmed whether News International was specifically involved in trawling police computers for information on Brown.

Separately, Brown's tax paperwork was taken from his accountant's office apparently by hacking into the firm's computer. This was passed to another newspaper.

Brown was targeted during a period of more than 10 years, both as chancellor of the exchequer and as prime minister. Some of the activity clearly was illegal. Other incidents breached his privacy but not the law. An investigation by the Guardian has found that:

• Scotland Yard has discovered references to both Brown and his wife, Sarah, in paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who specialised in phone hacking for the News of the World;

• Abbey National bank found evidence suggesting that a "blagger" acting for the Sunday Times on six occasions posed as Brown and gained details from his account;

• Brown's London lawyers, Allen & Overy, were tricked into handing over details from his file by a conman working for the Sunday Times;

• Details from his infant son's medical records were obtained by the Sun, who published a story about the child's serious illness.

Brown joins a long list of Labour politicians who are known to have been targeted by private investigators working for News International, including the former prime minister Tony Blair and his media adviser Alastair Campbell, the former deputy prime minister John Prescott and his political adviser Joan Hammell, Peter Mandelson as trade secretary, Jack Straw and David Blunkett as home secretaries, Tessa Jowell as media secretary and her special adviser Bill Bush, and Chris Bryant as minister for Europe.

The sheer scale of the data assault on Brown is unusual, with evidence of attempts to obtain his legal, financial, tax, medical and police records as well as to listen to his voicemail. All of these incidents are linked to media organisations. In many cases, there is evidence of a link to News International.

Scotland Yard recently wrote separately to Brown and to his wife to tell them that their details had been found in evidence collected by Operation Weeting, the special inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World. It is believed that this refers to handwritten notes kept by Mulcaire, which were seized by police in August 2006 and never previously investigated. Brown last year asked Scotland Yard if there was evidence that he had been targeted by the private investigator and was told there was none.

Journalists who have worked at News International say they believe that Brown's personal bank account was accessed on several occasions when he was chancellor of the exchequer. An internal inquiry by Abbey National's fraud department found that during January 2000, somebody acting on behalf of the Sunday Times contacted their Bradford call centre six times, posing as Brown, and succeeded in extracting details from his account.

Abbey National's senior lawyer sent a summary of their findings to the editor of the Sunday Times, John Witherow, concluding: "On the basis of these facts and inquiries, I am drawn to the conclusion that someone from the Sunday Times or acting on its behalf has masqueraded as Mr Brown for the purpose of obtaining information from Abbey National by deception."

Abbey National were not able to identify the bogus caller who tricked their staff. It is a matter of public record that a Sunday Times reporter frequently used the services of a former actor, John Ford, who specialised in "blagging" confidential data from banks, phone companies and the Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue & Customs).

Also in January 2000, one of the paper's reporters used a conman named Barry Beardall, who was subsequently jailed for fraud, to trick staff at Brown's solicitors, Allen & Overy, into handing over details from his personal file. A tape made by Beardall at the time reveals that he claimed to be an accountant from the "Dealson group of companies" and that they were interested in buying Brown's flat. Beardall also practised trickery in an attempt to provide Sunday Times stories about Blair, the then prime minister, and Labour's candidate for the mayor of London, Frank Dobson.

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Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid allegedly paid British royal protection officers for details about Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family

Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid allegedly paid British royal protection officers for details about Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, reports said Monday.
An internal inquiry at News International, the British newspaper arm of Murdoch's empire, found emails that included requests by a reporter for money to pay police in the royal protection branch, the BBC and other media said.
London's Metropolitan Police, which is leading inquiries into phone hacking and allegations of corruption at the tabloid, said the reports were part of a "deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation".
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the claims when contacted by AFP.
The reports came a day after the News of the World printed its last edition following Murdoch's decision to close it amid the allegations over its conduct.
The BBC alleged that one email from the News of the World suggests the newspaper's then-royal editor Clive Goodman asked for cash from the editor at the time, Andy Coulson, to buy a secret directory of royal landline numbers.
The email implies that a royal protection officer wanted £1,000 (1,125 euros, $1,604) for it, the broadcaster said.
London's Evening Standard newspaper said the information also included tips about the movements and activities of the queen, her husband Prince Philip and royal staff.
Coulson and Goodman were both arrested and bailed on Friday over the alleged activities of the News of the World.
Goodman was jailed in 2007 for hacking phones, including those of members of the royal family, and Coulson resigned immediately afterwards, although Coulson denied all knowledge of the illegal practice.
Coulson went on to become British Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief, until he quit that job in January.
Scotland Yard, which has faced criticism for its handling of the phone hacking row, expressed dismay that the new information had become public.
"It is our belief that information that has appeared in the media today is part of a deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation into the alleged payments by corrupt journalists to corrupt police officers and divert attention from elsewhere," it said in a statement.

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Full sutton prisoner accused of Ian Huntley murder bid

THE man charged with murdering a fellow prisoner at Full Sutton prison allegedly tried to kill Soham double murderer Ian Huntley nearly a year earlier.

Damien Fowkes, 35, will stand trial for both crimes at Hull Crown Court in October.

He is alleged to have killed child murderer Colin Hatch, 38, of north London, by strangling him in the East Yorkshire maximum security prison on February 22.

Hatch, who also had convictions for sexually abusing children, was serving a life sentence for the 1994 murder of seven-year-old Sean Williams.

Eleven days before the alleged murder, Fowkes appeared in court and denied the attempted murder of Huntley and an alternative charge of causing wounding with intent to Huntley. The prosecution alleges he made a knife from a toothbrush and a razor blade and slashed Huntley’s throat when both were at Frankland Prison near Durham. Fowkes appeared before Newcastle Crown Court via video link from Wakefield Prison, where he is being held in the close supervision wing.

 

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