Cancer Boy's Mum 'Fears Radiation Side-Effects'

By Nick Martin, Sky Correspondent

The mother of a seven-year-old boy with cancer says she does not want him to receive potentially life-saving radiotherapy because she is worried about the side effects.

Neon Roberts underwent surgery on a brain tumour in October and as a follow-up treatment doctors recommended a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But his mother Sally Roberts said the side effects of the radiation could have a "damaging effect on his future".

Her estranged husband Ben Roberts, however, agrees with doctors who say his chances of survival would be increased if he had the treatment.

Giving evidence in the High Court, Mrs Roberts said: "I wish for the best future for my son, the best quality of life. I fear radiotherapy could have damaging effects on his future,"

Mrs Roberts described her son as having an "incredible sense of humour" and being "a great artist, vibrant and healthy".

She told the court that she had researched the side effects of radiotherapy and asked experts for advice.

She said she feared his IQ would be affected and that he could have a shorter life with increased chances of suffering a stroke.

Doctors said the boy's chances of surviving would be significantly reduced if he did not receive the radiotherapy and want to start the treatment next Thursday.

A doctor involved in Neon's care told the court that Ms Roberts' comments were very sensible and accepted that there could be side effects but said that without the treatment the little boy could die within a few months.

"I think it is a balance. I don't think it's a fine balance,"  said the doctor. "There is a distinct disadvantage in terms of the overall survival.

"There are side effects that occur but we must not underestimate the quality of life of patients who have these side effects."

He added: "The vast majority of parents will have concerns whether to make the decision but go with the treatment recommended."

Mr Roberts was not at the hearing because he was with Neon - but he wrote to tell the judge that he had agreed to radiotherapy because it seemed to be the"best course".

"Obviously I am concerned about side effects and slightly apprehensive about radiotherapy," said Mr Roberts' message.

"If Sally produces sufficient evidence that radiotherapy is not a necessity then I am happy to support her."

Mr Justice Bodey said the boy's condition was "the stuff of every parent's nightmare" and that he would balance the benefits of radiotherapy against the "downsides" when making his decision.

The judge is expected to rule on the matter on Saturday.

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Belfast Flag Violence: Rioting In City Centre

Belfast has been hit by another night of rioting as hundreds of loyalists took to the streets to protest over flags.

Eight police officers were injured, with two needing hospital treatment, and five people were arrested following clashes across the city.

Trouble flared at Shaftesbury Square - a popular party spot near Queen's University - after a man tried to drive a black van through a loyalist road block of about 200 people.

Eye witnesses said police officers were pelted with stones, bricks, bottles and other missiles. Two cars were also set on fire.

Police vans cut off part of Belfast's Sandy Row area

Two PSNI water cannons were deployed to the area but were not used against the rioters.

There were also reports of minor sporadic disorder in other parts of the city.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr said: "This behaviour is simply not acceptable. These people are only wrecking their own communities and putting innocent people's lives at risk.

"Twenty-one officers have been injured so far this week dealing with this disorder. That's 21 officers who have been pulled away from their roles of protecting the community. This is unacceptable.

"This mob violence and intimidation cannot be allowed to continue and I am urgently appealing to politicians and those with community influence in these areas to do what they can to put a stop to this behaviour now before someone is seriously injured or killed."

A burned out car in Belfast city centre after rioters dispersed

Loyalists opposed to a restriction on the number of days the Union flag can be flown over Belfast City Hall have held protests across Northern Ireland every night since the decision was taken, despite appeals from the First Minister for the pickets to be suspended.

Last night, demonstrations were also held in the greater Belfast area, Bangor, Co Down, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh and Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

Police said there were no reports of violence outside Belfast. On Friday night, police clashed with loyalists in Ian Paisley's home town of Ballymena, Co Antrim.

Hillary Clinton appealed for the violence to stop

There are plans for a major protest in Belfast city centre later today. Traders are worried it could affect business on what should be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

During her visit to Northern Ireland US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for the violence to stop.

Much of the anger has been directed towards the non sectarian Alliance Party, whose councillors in Belfast voted to limit the number of days the Union flag could be flown over the city hall from 365 to 17.

A death threat against the party's only MP, Naomi Long, marked a significant escalation in the seriousness of the sectarian tension.

On Wednesday, a constituency office in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim was destroyed in an arson attack. An attempt to burn down Bangor premises occupied by the Alliance Party's Employment Minister Stephen Farry was thwarted.

Belfast city councillor Laura McNamee was also advised to leave her home while two others living in Bangor had their house vandalised.

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Babies' Ashes Secretly Buried In Garden

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

An investigation has begun into why an Edinburgh crematorium buried the ashes of cremated babies in a mass unmarked grave.

Staff at Mortonhall Crematorium lied to the bereaved parents of babies who were stillborn, or who died within six months, telling them there were no ashes to give back to them.

In fact, the babies' remains were buried in a garden of remembrance at the council-owned crematorium instead.

The reason for the deceit remains unexplained.

The discovery was made by chance during discussions between the crematorium's new management and the charity Sands, which counsels families who have experienced the death of a small child.

Officials told the charity's Dorothy Maitland that records showed the remains of her daughter Kaelen, who died when she was nine days old, had been buried in the crematorium's memorial garden.

This contradicted what she was told 26 years ago by crematorium staff.

When Ms Maitland asked for her daughter's ashes, they had lied that there were none to give.

It has since emerged that the refusal to give bereaved parents the ashes of cremated babies has been common practice at the crematorium, which opened in 1967.

The babies' ashes were instead routinely placed in cardboard boxes and buried.

The babies concerned were either stillborn or died before they were 24 weeks old.

Ms Maitland told Sky News: "I feel very let down and angry that I trusted these people. It's an absolute fiasco.

"There is, simply, no logic for denying parents their babies' ashes.

"I wasn't given the choice of where my daughter was laid to rest and we, as a family, don't feel that she is where we would want her to be.

"I feel I have let her down as a mother."

Edinburgh Council said the practice of refusing to give parents their babies' ashes ended with a change of management at the crematorium in May 2011.

The council has begun an investigation into what happened and why, amid estimates that hundreds of families could have been affected over the years.

In a statement, councillor Lesley Hinds, environment convener, said: "I want to offer my deepest apologies to all those families who have been affected by this dreadful and completely unacceptable situation.

"As soon as I became aware of this heart-breaking matter I met with Sands to express my sincere regret and reassure them I will do everything in my power to find out how this happened.

"It is reassuring that this practice no longer occurs, although nothing can ever fully make up for the hurt families may have suffered as a result of this unacceptable situation.

"We now need to establish exactly what has gone on previously and how it was allowed to happen. We are already discussing with Sands some form of memorial as a mark of respect."

The Sands charity has taken calls from more than 50 concerned parents since the revelations surrounding the crematorium emerged.

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Hillary Clinton Makes Return To Tense Belfast

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

Hillary Clinton is making a nostalgic return to Northern Ireland but with tension running high over flags, the peace that she and President Clinton helped to build remains far from perfect.

A vote to limit the flying of the Union flag over Belfast City Hall sparked loyalist protests, some violent. 

The civil unrest has been threatening to overshadow Mrs Clinton's visit.

Gavin Robinson, Lord Mayor of Belfast, said: "The US Secretary of State will be no stranger to some of these issues. 

Armagh's Mayor Sharon Haughey, then 14, with President Clinton in 1995

"She's been here in much more difficult times in Northern Ireland and I'm sure she will welcome and mark the progress that has been made and the collective political willingness that we'll not go back to the bad old days of the past."

It was 1995 when the Clintons paid their first historic visit to Northern Ireland.  Thousands turned out to greet them and to herald the dawn of the peace process here.

Teenager Sharon Haughey, who had written a letter about 'The Troubles' to the White House, welcomed them to Armagh.  She's now the city's Lord Mayor and gives them the credit.

Mrs Clinton has already visited Dublin and met children at the US embassy

"The Clintons have played a very important role in the pathway that I have chosen in my life," she said. "They gave me a platform as a very ordinary 14-year-old schoolgirl. 

"They gave me an extraordinary opportunity and I decided to use that opportunity to help shape that future that I wanted and that's really why I'm here today."

The US Secretary of State will attend an American Ireland lunch at Titanic Belfast after a meeting Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Mr Robinson has urged loyalists to suspend their protests over the flag issue. "Those who riot and engage in violence do a disservice to the flag they claim to represent," he said.

His statement followed attacks on the homes and offices of politicians belonging to the neutral Alliance Party, which had encouraged a compromise - the flying of the flag on designated days.

Syria topped the agenda when the US Secretary of State visited Dublin during her trip. 

Regardless of recent setbacks, she'll be keen to celebrate whatever kind of peace she finds in Belfast.

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Judges To Impose Tougher Sex Offence Sentences

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Judges will be urged to consider the psychological and long-term damage to victims of sex offences when passing sentence on perpetrators under new sentencing guidelines.

The new proposals, which will go out to public consultation, will also ensure the judiciary takes into account other aggravating factors, such as filming or photographing sex attacks.

They would see sentences brought up to date with advances in the technology and tactics used by offenders.

A tougher maximum sentence of 19 years should be given for "one-off" rapes, a limit currently only available for those who attack the same victim over a course of time or rape multiple victims, the guidelines state.

Mother-of-two Gabrielle Browne was attacked by a serial sex offender in 2003, when she was out running in preparation for the London Marathon.

In the years since she has devoted much of her energies to fighting for victims' rights within the judicial system.

Particularly when it comes to sentencing, she believes victims' voices are often lost in the process.

She told Sky News that in her case, her attacker could have been stopped before he targeted her, had a judge handed down a custodial sentence for crimes he committed against other women.

She said: "One of the most shocking and disappointing revelations in the lead up to court was when I found out that only six months earlier he had attacked six women in the same park.

"Some of those women were out with their children. For those six offences he received a community supervision order."

The changes are designed to make sure paedophiles, people-traffickers and rapists who operate alone or in gangs are dealt with better in courts in England and Wales.

Sentencing Council member Lord Justice Treacy said: "We're improving guidance for courts to help them deal with these incredibly complex, sensitive and serious offences.

"The perspective of victims is central to the council's considerations. We want to ensure sentences reflect everything the victim has been through and what the offender has done.

"We are looking at the whole context, not just the physical offence but also the tactics employed by offenders like grooming activity, the targeting of vulnerable victims or abuse of a position of trust."

Judges are asked to take into account factors such as stalking and previous abuse by offenders, and the targeting of vulnerable victims like those in care.

The council said the review of the guidelines had come about because the nature of offending has changed and in some cases of sexual exploitation and child grooming perpetrators use technology in offences involving indecent images of children.

"The guidelines reflect these developments so they cover the ways these crimes are committed today," the council said.

For rape, the new guidelines are designed take a broader approach covering a range of scenarios, and to recognise not just the stereotypical "stranger rapes" but to take into account that most rapes are carried out by someone the victim knows, and that many occur within families.

The council said the current guidelines for sexual assault take "too narrow an approach", and focus too much on the nature of the physical activity done by the offender.

It called for fear and intimidation to be taken into account, so an offence would be more serious if violence was threatened or threatening or violent sexual language was used.

For child sex offences the council said it wanted to increase the focus on the behaviour of offenders, how children may have been groomed or exploited, and whether offenders abused a position of trust.

It also said factors such as the use of alcohol or drugs to facilitate the offence and the use of gifts or bribes to coerce a victim should be taken into account.

The guidelines say paedophiles operating in rings or those who abuse a position of trust to create images or videos should be given tougher sentences and called for changes in the way images are classified to aid investigators.

Although Gabrielle Browne welcomes the proposed changes, she believes judges will not be fully armed with all the information necessary to pass sentence until victim impact statements become an every day part of sentencing.

She said: "When that becomes a routine part of the court process and a routine part of the judge's papers that he considers before passing sentence there is a much greater likelihood that there will be more uniformity in sentencing and taking a victim's views into account."

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Stuart Hall Charged With Three Indecent Assaults

BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall has been charged with three counts of indecent assault against young girls aged between eight and 17.

Complaints about the 82-year-old Radio 5 Live football presenter have been made to Lancashire police about alleged incidents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hall has worked for more than a half century in British broadcasting and was awarded an OBE in this year's New Years Honours. He also presented the It's A Knockout show in the 1970s.

John Dilworth, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the charges are that between September 1, 1974, and December 31, 1974, he indecently assaulted a woman who was then aged 16 or 17 years.

Between January 1, 1983, and December 31, 1983, he is accused of indecently assaulting a girl then aged eight or nine years and between July 1, 1984, and September 27, 1984, he allegedly indecently assaulted a girl then aged 13 years.

Mr Dilworth added: "He has been bailed to appear at Preston Magistrates' Court on January 7, 2013.

"This decision is made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest to prosecute this case."

Hall was arrested at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, on Wednesday morning.

The BBC has said that he will not be working for them while police continue with their inquiries.

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Premature Babies: Dilemma Over Care Grows

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Better medical care is improving the survival chances of premature babies but failing to reduce the number suffering from lifelong health problems, according to new research.

Doctors studying extremely preterm babies - those born before the 26th week of pregnancy - warn "little progress has been made" in reducing serious long-term problems.

They say the children are a "significant public health issue" because of the increased workload for health, educational and social services.

Professor Neil Marlow, a neonatal care specialist at University College London Hospitals, told Sky News:  "Intensive care for small babies is expensive, and providing care for children with disabiliteis as they grow up is also expensive.

"Although the number of babies in relation to the general population is relatively small, they have a very high need."

Researchers behind the long-running EPICure study compared premature babies born in 2006 with those born in 1995.

They found there had been a 44% increase in the number of extremely premature babies being admitted to neonatal intensive care, reflecting increasing optimism by doctors.

Survival increased from 40% to 53% over the decade, according to results published on bmj.com.

But in 1995, 41% left hospital with a major disability such as chronic lung disease, brain damage or serious eye problems, and there has been no improvement since.

In the Netherlands doctors do not attempt to save very premature babies - they argue that say it causes more suffering, with little prospect of a successful outcome.

But Professor Andrew Shennan, medical advisor to Tommy's - a charity which funds research into premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth - said doctors must do their best.

"Doctors who deal with these babies soon after birth have to make very careful decisions not to overstrive to maintain life at all costs. And I don't think that has changed.

"It is disappointing that disability remains a problem and isn't getting better and we need to look at why that is the case."

Nadia and Rosa Connelly were both premature. Nadia was 15 weeks early and her mum was told she had a 50% chance of survival. She says doctors were right to give her a chance.

"You don't know what is going to happen," she said.

"I was told she would have a severe mental or physical disability and she doesn't.

"So I dont think it is so clear cut. You can't say we are not going to treat this child."

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Autumn Statement: Osborne Tightens The Screw

The Chancellor is to admit that more drastic action is needed to balance the Government's books but will warn in his mini-budget that there are no "miracle cures".

George Osborne is to confirm that Whitehall departments are being ordered to find further cuts to fund £5bn of projects designed to kick-start the economy.

In the Autumn Statement he is also widely expected to concede that sluggish growth means it will take longer to tackle the deficit, and that a key coalition target - to have public sector debt falling by 2015-16 - may be missed.

Mr Osborne will argue that he is "confronting the country's problems, instead of ducking them".

"The public know that there are no miracle cures. Just the hard work of dealing with our deficit and ensuring Britain wins the global race," he will say.

The capital projects will include building or expanding up to 100 new academies and free schools over the next two years, with cash directed at areas experiencing a shortage in classroom places, as well as investment in transport and science and skills.

Labour said the announcement amounted to an admission that the reduction in infrastructure spending since 2010 had been "a catastrophic mistake" and weakened the economy.

Health, schools, international aid, HM Revenue and Customs and nuclear decommissioning will be protected from the latest round of cuts.

The Chancellor is also expected to target the pension pots of higher earners.

He may cut the amount of annual tax relief high earners receive on pension contributions from £50,000 a year to £30,000. Implementing the full cut could raise as much as £1.8bn for the Government.

Mr Osborne is expected to announce a crackdown on people and businesses avoiding or evading tax, with a £77m boost for HM Revenue and Customs to track down those not paying their fair share.

He will also use the statement to signal his approval for up to 30 new gas-powered electricity power stations, as well as floating possible tax breaks and regulatory reforms to encourage investment in innovative "fracking" technologies for extracting gas from shale deposits.

Follow Sky's live coverage of the Autumn Statement on Wednesday:

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Abu Qatada: New Appeal To Deport Cleric

Home Secretary Theresa May has launched a legal challenge against the decision to let radical cleric Abu Qatada stay in the UK.

Mrs May took the step after judges ruled last month that Qatada should not be sent to Jordan to face terror charges.

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) ruled that sending him home to go on trial would breach his human rights.

The panel decided there was a risk evidence obtained using torture would be used against him, despite assurances from Jordan.

Theresa May: "Qatada is a dangerous man"

The Home Secretary has now submitted grounds of appeal to the Court of Appeal as she attempts to have the decision overturned.

It can only be challenged if it is found that there were legal problems with the commission's ruling.

Qatada was released on bail from Long Lartin prison last month after the latest twist in his case and is living with his family in north west London.

At the time of the SIAC ruling, Mrs May insisted in the Commons that Jordan had given satisfactory assurances about its legal processes.

She said: "Qatada is a dangerous man, a suspected terrorist, who is accused of serious crime in his home country of Jordan.

"The British Government has obtained from the Jordanian government assurances not just in relation to the treatment of Qatada himself, but about the quality of the legal processes that would be followed throughout his trial."

Qatada is said to have wide and high-level support among extremists, and featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the September 11 bombers.

The extremist has battled deportation for over a decade and has so far thwarted every attempt by the Government to remove him.

Once described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, he has to obey strict bail conditions including a 16-hour curfew and internet ban.

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Belfast City Hall Protest Injures Police

Two police officers have been injured after hundreds of loyalists tried to storm Belfast City Hall after councillors voted to remove the Union flag.

An Alliance Party spokesman said: "Tonight was a disaster for this city."

A group forced its way through the back gates and tried to kick the door down minutes after elected members agreed to fly the flag on designated days.

Police used batons and brought in dogs to push the protesters, who had scarves covering their faces, out of the courtyard at the back of City Hall on to Donegall Square South.

Two police officers were treated in hospital after at least one firework, bricks, bottles and other missiles were thrown. It is understood that a council security guard was also hurt.

Two female officers were taken to hospital

Cars belonging to elected members and staff were damaged during the disorder.

Sinn Fein's Jim McVeigh said: "The people that broke through the gates are a bunch of thugs. They physically assaulted the staff, tried to attack members of the police and they attacked property."

Councillors agreed by 29 votes to 21 to bring City Hall into line with Stormont and other Government buildings and fly the flag on 17 designated days.

It is the first time the Union flag has been taken down from the Edwardian building in more than a century.

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags block the back of City Hall

Ulster Unionist Jim Rodgers said he was not surprised violence had flared.

"There is a real anger," he said. "I cannot condone violence but people do not realise just how strongly the people in Northern Ireland think about flying the flag over City Hall."

Maire Hendron from the Alliance Party said: "Tonight was a disaster for this city."

Just over a week ago, the council's strategic policy and resources committee voted 11-9 in favour of removing the flag completely.

The decision had to be ratified at a full meeting.

The Union flag will now be flown on 17 designated days

During an emotive debate on the issue, PUP councillor John Kyle said there was a real anger among working-class Protestants.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said two female police officers were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

A spokeswoman said violence had spread to other parts of Belfast, but crowds were later dispersed.

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George Osborne Takes On The Tax Avoiders

Little Christmas Cheer From Osborne

Updated: 3:29pm UK, Sunday 02 December 2012

By Peter Spencer, Political Correspondent

Borrowing costs up, growth forecasts down. Little wonder, then, that George Osborne's Autumn Statement will look more like January's credit card bills than Santa's stocking.

And there's a rare degree of unanimity across Fleet Street about what form the nasty fiscal news will take.

This seems to point to behind-the-scenes briefings of a kind Lord Leveson would like to outlaw.

But for now it's everywhere.

The expectation is that George Osborne will announce tax rises on the pension pots of the wealthiest AND a freeze on many benefits.

It's also predicted there'll be a lowering of the annual limit of tax relief on pension contributions from £50,000 to £30,000. Alongside this, it seems, we can expect a freeze on out-of-work benefits.

However, any form of mansion tax - or splitting council tax bands - is likely to be ruled out. That's a battle the Lib Dems have lost.

A battle that Tory backbenchers appear to have won, by contrast, is agreement to delay the 3p per litre rise in fuel duty planned for January.

While that last one will come as some comfort for many, the overall picture is bleak.

No surprise there, given that economic experts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility to the Governor of the Bank of England agree that unless the Chancellor's prepared to let his debt reduction target slip further into the future, he has no choice but to make himself deeply unpopular.

Though he knows this as well as anyone, he's sticking doggedly to his script.

Speaking to The Sun On Sunday, he said: "We are still all in this together. Everyone must make a contribution to dealing with our debts, from the richest in our society to those living a life on benefits.

"The road ahead may be longer than we thought, but it leads to a better future. Let's have the courage to stay the course."

Labour say that course is made that desperately more uphill and potholed by HIS actions. Trying to cut the deficit too far and too fast.

But they know that if THEY'D won the election there'd still have had to be deeply unpopular austerity measures following the economic meltdown of 2008.

Governments across Europe have been falling like dominoes for precisely that reason.

But, in the short term at least, Mr Osborne's offering will be judged on the basis of fairness. Or otherwise.

Research by the consumer group Which? suggests that almost one in four UK households are already feeling "financially squeezed".

For them at least, any talk from the Treasury of discomfort (that favourite doctor's euphemism) will mean what it really means. Pain.

Which is why, for the Chancellor, the political stakes this week could hardly be higher.

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Starbucks Tax Backlash: Firm Pledges Action

Starbucks has announced it is reviewing its tax affairs after a public backlash over the low amount of tax the US company pays in the UK.

The Seattle-based company reportedly paid just £8.6m in corporation tax in 14 years of trading in Britain.

It recently revealed it paid no corporation tax for the past three years, despite sales of £1.2bn in the UK.

Now, the coffee chain has revealed it is in talks with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Treasury over its tax affairs as part of a bid to "build public trust".

"Starbucks is committed to the UK for the long term and we have invested more than £200m in our UK business over the past 12 years," the statement said.

"Starbucks has complied with all the tax laws in this country but has regretfully not been as profitable as we would have liked.

"We have listened to feedback from our customers and employees, and understand that to maintain and further build public trust we need to do more.

"As part of this we are looking at our tax approach in the UK.

"The company has been in discussions with HMRC for some time and is also in talks with the Treasury."

The firm is one of many multinationals to have the amount of tax they pay in the UK put under the spotlight.

Starbucks operates more than 700 stores in the UK

Chancellor George Osborne is set to address the issue in his Autumn Statement on December 5.

On Sunday Mr Osborne announced extra investment to help clamp down on the multinational companies' tax avoidance.

Last month, the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is charged with monitoring government financial affairs, questioned senior executives from Starbucks, Google and Amazon on why they pay so little tax in the UK while racking up millions of pounds' worth of sales.

"I assure you we are not making money," Troy Alstead, the chief financial officer of Starbucks, told the committee.

"It's very unfortunate. We're not at all pleased about our financial performance here. It's fundamentally true everything we are saying and everything we have said historically."

His comments came despite operating more than 700 UK stores and employing nearly 8,500 people, along with plans to employ another 6,000 staff and open 300 outlets.

Companies are able to sidestep the taxman legally by conducting different operations in different countries, and constructing complex global frameworks that allow them to move money through offshore subsidiaries and locations.

The three leading US companies and their corporate tax rates

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First Text Was Sent To A Mobile 20 Years Ago

By By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

Tomorrow marks 20 years since the first text message was sent to a mobile phone.

The first SMS was sent on December 3, 1992, when a 22-year-old British engineer called Neil Papworth - an employee of the technology company Sema - used his computer to send the message "Merry Christmas" to an Orbitel 901 mobile phone.

Texting has now surpassed the traditional phone call as the most common method of staying in touch.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Papworth said he never envisaged that texting would be so popular.

"Back then I had no idea - I was just doing a day's testing. It wasn't until the 10th anniversary that I realised and thought 'Wow, that was a big thing'.

"And here we are another 10 years later and text messaging has gone on to even bigger and better things now."

According to figures released by Ofcom, more than 150 billion texts were sent in the UK last year, almost triple the amount sent five years ago.

Its most prolific users are 12 to 15-year-olds, who send an average of 193 texts every week, almost four times as much as the UK average.

In fact, most of us are now more likely to text a friend than to pick up the phone, or have a face-to-face conversation with them.

But the first half of 2012 saw two quarterly declines in the volume of SMS messages sent in the UK.

The drop is being put down to the meteoric rise in web-based communications - many of which are freely available on smartphones and tablets - like WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger (BBM), iMessenger, Google Talk and MSN Messenger.

An increase in communication through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook is also thought to be having an impact.

SMS stands for Short Messaging Service and a message is traditionally under 160 characters in length.

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Chakrabarti: 'Leveson Law Would Be Unlawful'

A key aide to Lord Justice Leveson claims his calls for press reform laws would be illegal and may breach the Human Rights Act.

Shami Chakrabarti, one of six assessors who worked with the judge on the inquiry, told the Mail on Sunday she could not support legislation because it would "coerce" newspapers into holding higher standards than anyone else, which would be unlawful.

The director of civil rights group Liberty warned that Lord Justice Leveson's proposal for an independent regulatory body backed up in law could have "serious unintended consequences".

The report on press reforms was issued last week

She said: "In a democracy, regulation of the press and imposing standards on it must be voluntary.

"A compulsory statute to regulate media ethics in the way the report suggests would violate the Act, and I cannot support it."

She added that Labour leader Ed Miliband "was hasty" in supporting the recommendations unveiled earlier this week.

Of Hacked Off, she told the Mail on Sunday: "I understand that people who have been wronged want action. But they should be interested in outcomes, rather than particular processes.

The PM has serious concerns about legislative action

"The outcome they should be seeking is a free and vibrant press with access to justice for the public when things go wrong."

David Cameron has expressed "serious concerns and misgivings" about legislative action but faces intense pressure to implement the findings from victims of press intrusion, the public and other party leaders.

The Prime Minister, who called for the press to be given a some time to now get its house in order, will warn Fleet Street it must take swift action to set up an independent press watchdog in crunch talks with the industry next week.

The report has ratcheted up coalition tensions with the Liberal Democrats saying they are prepared to back the regulatory system and slapping down Tory claims that draft laws were only being drawn up to demonstrate the proposals were unworkable.

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