Philpott Fire: Father Showed 'Little Emotion'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Mick Philpott showed "little emotion" as he waited in hospital for news of the condition of one of his children following a fire at their home in Derby, a court has heard.

Jade, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six and Jayden, five, all perished in the blaze on Victory Road in Allenton in May last year.

Their brother Duwayne, 13, was taken to Derby Royal Hospital but died three days later after being transferred to Birmingham.

Philpott, 56, and his wife Mairead, 31, deny killing their six children after a "plan" to frame his ex-mistress went wrong. A third defendant, Paul Mosley, 46, also denies six counts of manslaughter.

PC Kevin Cassidy from Derbyshire Police told Nottingham Crown Court that he was appointed the family's interim liaison officer at the hospital.

He said Mick Philpott told him he and Mairead had been asleep downstairs at the time of the fire and they were woken by a smoke alarm.

When Mick Philpott went outside he claimed he climbed a ladder and used a monkey wrench to smash a window, but the "thick, black smoke" beat him back.

He described the father as "clear and concise in what he was saying and he showed little emotion ... his body language was very relaxed ... as if nothing had happened".

The officer said he only showed emotion when relatives arrived, then he was "casual" again. Mairead Philpott, he said, was "very emotional ... nine times out of 10 she had her head in her hands".

The officer said doctors in Derby told the Philpotts that Duwayne would receive "better treatment" at Birmingham Children's Hospital, but that Mick Philpott was "reluctant" to go there.

The scene in Derby last year

He told how the father said: "We are not going to Birmingham, I have a court day today with regards to access to my other children." He was, he said, "adamant he wasn't going to go, he had no intention of going".

The prosecution alleges that the defendant was violent towards his ex-girlfriend Lisa Willis and after she left the Victory Road home she shared with the Philpotts, taking her five children with her, he wanted to get the children back.

The officer told the jury that after discussions with a doctor at the Derby Royal Hospital, the defendants went for a coffee for 20 to 30 minutes. The doctor asked where they were because Duwayne needed to be transferred "immediately".

When Mick Philpott arrived back from the cafe, he was bare-chested and said he had spilled coffee down his T-shirt. The officer said he went to find him a hospital gown. The Philpotts were later taken in an unmarked police car to Birmingham.

Earlier PC Joanne Steele told the court that at the scene of the fire Mairead Philpott was "hysterical" and was "shaking, uncontrollable, very, very stressed".

PC Steele said Mick Philpott "seemed upset, but seemed to be pacing, anxious".

She said he told her that his ex, Lisa, had made "threats to kill them ... or set the house on fire".

Neighbour Joseph Peel told the court that he was woken by his dog, and when he looked outside it was "foggy" and "as I scanned I just noticed the door on fire". He said he then saw there was "black, thick smoke" coming out of a side window.

He dialled 999, put his clothes on and went outside. He said he banged on the caravan outside 18 Victory Road and shouted: "Mick, Mick, your house is on fire, we knew Mick used to sleep in there.

"I heard what I believe to be Mr Philpott in the back garden ... he was shouting 'my kids, get my kids out'."

Another neighbour, Daniel Stevenson, fought back tears as he told the court he made a number of attempts to save the children after he heard Mick Philpott shout "my babies" and his wife screaming.

He used a pickaxe and a wrench to try to get in, and only got off the conservatory roof when police assured him firefighters were already inside the property. When he got down, he said he saw Mick Philpott punch his van.

"I think he tried to get in the house," he said. "He was being restrained by police officers."

The trial continues.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Beheading: Man Guilty of Brit Gran's Murder

A man has been found guilty of murdering a British grandmother who he decapitated on the Spanish island of Tenerife.

Deyan Deyanov, from Bulgaria, repeatedly stabbed 60-year-old Jennifer Mills-Westley in the neck in 2011 with a knife he had just picked up in a shop.

The homeless 29-year-old drug addict had denied murder, with his defence arguing he was not criminally responsible for his actions because he suffers from acute paranoid schizophrenia, but a jury of nine found him guilty.

After the verdict, Ms Mills-Westley's family spoke of how hard it had been to sit through the evidence but said lessons needed to be learned from what had happened.

In a joint statement, her children said: "It's hard to put into words the devastating impact that this preventable and needless act has had on us as a family - sadly mum was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jennifer Mills-Westley had retired to Tenerife

"It is clear to us that there has been a catalogue of failings - unfortunately it is now left to us to piece these together as we still have so many unanswered questions.

"We would like to make a plea that the care of people like Deyan Valentinov Deyanov is taken more seriously."

Ms Mills-Westley, a retired road safety worker originally from Norwich, was attacked while she was in a shop in the popular resort of Los Cristianos on May 13, 2011.

She had retired to the island in 2006 and owned two apartments in Los Cristianos, one of which she rented out.

That morning, Deyanov had walked into another shop and asked for a "big" knife because he was going to kill someone.

At 10.30am he went into the Mas Articulos Mejor Precios shop on Avenida Juan Carlos I, picked up a 22cm-long knife and plunged it into Ms Mills-Westley's neck 14 times.

He then walked out carrying her head, to the horror of onlookers, before being wrestled to the ground and arrested.

Living rough in Los Cristianos, the crack cocaine and LSD user was well-known to police and had been arrested at least four times since January 2011 for violent offences.

A warrant for his arrest had been issued just three days before the killing but officers had been unable to locate him.

He had previously been sectioned in the summer of 2010 under the Mental Health Act in Glan Clwyd Hospital, North Wales, and again at Tenerife's La Candelaria hospital before being bailed in early February 2011.

The jury found that Deyanov was guilty of murder because he took his victim by surprise and she could not defend herself.

Even though he was suffering schizophrenia and his responsibility was diminished, in Spanish law he is guilty of murder.

The shop where the attack happened

Deyanov remained quiet and still as the verdict was read out.

Asked by magistrate Maria Jesus Garcia Sanchez if he had anything he wanted to say, he told his Bulgarian interpreter: "I am the the second reincarnation of Jesus Christ and I will bring the fire of the Holy Spirit to bear against this court."

Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years in a secure psychiatric ward, while the defence asked for the minimum sentence of 15 years.

Among the relatives in court were Ms Mills-Westley's younger daughter Samantha, 39, her sister Sarah, 43, from Norwich, and her brother John Smith, 63.

In the joint statement, issued through charity Missing Abroad, her children said attending the trial had been "incredibly hard on us" and said it "has reiterated the horror of mum's death".

They said: "Since the May 13 2011, Jennifer Mills-Westley has become known as the lady who was beheaded in Tenerife.

"The truth is she was our mum, our mentor and our best friend.

"She was a highly gifted, selfless person with so much love in her heart and who has been taken away from us in her prime."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eystna Blunnie Murder: Suspect 'Beat His Ex'

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

An ex-girlfriend of murder suspect Tony McLernon has told a jury how he beat her so violently she was left with a fractured jaw and black eyes.

Kimberly Mitchell was 14 when she started going out with the defendant, then aged 15, in 2004 and had a two-and-a-half year on-off relationship with him.

But after the first six months, she told Chelmsford Crown Court that he began beating her.

She said: "There were so many occasions, I cannot pinpoint them. He stamped on my head. He headbutted me. He punched me."

McLernon is charged with murdering his ex-fiancee, Eystna Blunnie, in June of last year, two days before she was due to give birth to their child.

Eystna Blunnie died two days before she was due to give birth

He is also accused of causing the death of their unborn baby daughter during the brutal attack in a Harlow street.

Giving evidence, Miss Mitchell recounted the time McLernon, now  24, held a knife to her neck after she laughed because he was losing at a computer game.

She also told the jury about the most serious attack when she alleges McLernon's violence left her needing hospital treatment.

She said he punched and hit her and threatened to cut her chest open with a knife.

But despite having a hairline fracture to her jaw, swollen cheeks and black eyes, she lied to police.

"I told them I was attacked by two men in the park.  I was too scared to tell the truth," she told the jury.

CCTV shows the last sighting of Miss Blunnie

Miss Mitchell also alleges that she emailed his next girlfriend to warn her about the abuse but he saw the message and raced her to the police station.

There, she claims he punched her in the face as she tried to make a statement.

McLernon's defence barrister Patrick Upwood QC put it to her that the relationship was ended by him and that upset her "and the allegations you have made are simply not true".

Another ex-girlfriend Jessica Matthews, then from Clacton, told the court how McLernon had accused her of "fancying" a Tesco cashier.

Later, she claims he forced her to get on her knees and held a 12-inch knife to her stomach and throat, before starting to cut into his own arms with the blade.

McLernon denies the charges. The case continues.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Support Centres Opened For Rape Victims

Rape and sexual assault victims will be able to seek help at four new support centres, the Government announced today.

The new centres will open within the next year in Reading, Avon and Somerset, Lincolnshire and central Lancashire, bringing the total to 78 across England and Wales.

The centres, which will be backed with £4m in funding, provide specialist counselling for victims of sexual assault or rape.

Around 473,000 women and men are sexually assaulted each year, according to recent figures, with one in 20 women reported as being a victim of a serious sexual offence.

But only 54,000 sexual offences are recorded by police on average each year, which can partly be explained by victims' reluctance or fear of coming forward.

Rape Crisis (England and Wales) chair Lee Eggleston welcomed the move adding that in Lincolnshire, there had not been enough support with victims having to take lengthy journeys to get help.

He said: "It is vital that women and girls who experience sexual violence are able to receive specialised support when and where they need it in order to be able to rebuild and move forward with their lives.

"In Lincolnshire and the four authority areas it will support there just has not been support available to survivors or at best, they have had to travel to the next county or metropolitan area, with some journeys taking hours, in order to get the help they need."

Since the 2010 coalition agreement, nine new centres have opened in Northumbria, Leeds, Southend, Suffolk, mid-Wales, Hereford, Devon, Dorset and Trafford.

A total of 65 were in place prior to 2010, all of which will receive continued funding.

Victims' minister Helen Grant said: "I want more victims of rape or sexual assault to come forward and get the specialist help they need to recover from these sickening crimes."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Son 'Killed His Parents For Inheritance'

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

A man has gone on trial accused of shooting dead his parents in order to claim his inheritance.

A jury at Manchester Crown Court was told that Stephen Seddon, 46, from Seaham, County Durham, murdered his parents because he had money problems and was the sole beneficiary of their wills.

Robert Seddon, 68, and his wife Patricia, 65, were shot at their home in Clough Avenue, Sale, Greater Manchester, in July 2012.

Months earlier, the prosecution alleges, their son had tried to kill them in a staged car accident.

The court heard that Mrs Seddon had been shot in the head "at very close range" and was found in the hallway. Her husband was shot in the living room and was found slumped on the sofa.

Opening the prosecution case, Peter Wright QC told the court "the killer wanted to make it look like Robert was responsible" and had placed the sawn off shotgun in the lap of the dead man, putting his right hand on the weapon.

The court heard that Stephen Seddon, who is married and a father of three, had lost his job in October 2011. His family was living on benefits claimed by his wife.

He was indebted to his parents, who were described as "unassuming" pensioners who lived a "modest but comfortable" life.

They had given their son almost £40,000 and bought a house for him on the agreement they would pay the mortgage and he would pay rent to them.

In spite of this, the court heard, Stephen Seddon had an "insatiable thirst for cash" and had made a number of online applications for loans. He knew he would inherit £230,000 if both his parents died.

The jury was told that on March 20, 2012, Seddon made his first attempt to kill them. He had hired a BMW and driven to his parents' home in Sale telling them he was taking them for a surprise belated Mother's Day meal out.

Witnesses saw the car speeding along a stretch of road in Timperley which runs alongside the Bridgewater Canal, then swerving suddenly and plunging into the canal.

The jury was told that when firefighters arrived at the scene Stephen Seddon was standing on the roof of the car. He was told to get off because he was making the car sink.

His parents were trapped in the back seats. They were rescued and Stephen Seddon went on to give "many and various" accounts of the cause of the accident, claiming to some people he had blacked out and telling others he had hit a brick on the road.

The court was told that after his parents survived Stephen Seddon "needed to resort to a more certain method by which to bring about their deaths, one by which he could maintain the pretence that any such event was as a result of a terrible tragedy rather than a double murder at the hand of an ungrateful son".

Stephen Seddon denies murder and attempted murder. The trial continues.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vicky Pryce Jury Fails To Reach A Verdict

Pryce Trial: Jury's Questions

Updated: 9:46pm UK, Wednesday 20 February 2013

Here are the 10 questions the jury in the Vicky Pryce case put to the judge on Tuesday.

1. "Can a juror come to a verdict based on a reason that was not presented in court and has no facts or evidence to support it, either from the prosecution or defence?"

Judge: "No."

2. "Can you speculate about the events at the time Ms Pryce signed the form or what was in her mind at that time?"

Judge: "No."

3. "If there is debatable evidence supporting the prosecution's case, can inferences be drawn to arrive at a verdict?"

Judge: "The drawing of inferences is a permissible process, speculation is not."

4. Can we infer anything from the fact that the defence did not bring witnesses from the time of the alleged offence, such as an au pair or neighbours?

Judge: "You must not speculate on what witnesses who have not been called might have said or draw inferences from their absence. Her evidence is that no one else, other than Mr Huhne, was present when she signed the form."

5. Is the defendant obliged to present a defence?

The judge said: "There is no burden on the defendant to prove her innocence. On the contrary there is no burden on the defendant to prove anything at all."

6. Can you define "reasonable doubt"?

The judge replied: "A reasonable doubt is a doubt which is reasonable."These are ordinary English words that the law doesn't allow me to help you with beyond the written directions that I have already given."

7. Can you expand on the definition of the defence of marital coercion, providing examples, and whether it requires violence or physical acts?

The judge said it did not require violence or physical threats and meant a woman was so affected by pressure from her husband that she was "impelled" to commit an offence and truly believed she had no real choice.

8. Would religious conviction be a good enough reason for a wife to feel she had no choice, because she promised to obey her husband in wedding vows?

The judge said the question was not about the case, and Pryce had not suggested any such reasoning was behind her decision to take Huhne's points.

9. Which facts in the court bundle can we consider when reaching a verdict?

The judge said: "You decide the case on the evidence. That means it is for you to review all of the evidence and decide which of it you consider to be important, truthful and reliable, and then decide what conclusions, common sense conclusions, you can safely draw by way of inference from that evidence."

10. "In the scenario where the defendant may be guilty but there is not enough evidence provided by the prosecution at the material time when she signed the Notice of Intended Prosecution between May 3-7, 2003, to feel sure beyond reasonable doubt, what should the verdict be, not guilty or unable/unsafe to provide a verdict?"

The judge told them they could only convict if at least 10 of them were sure Pryce was guilty.

He added: "If for whatever reason any one or more of you feel less than confident that you understand and are able to apply my directions of law then it will be wholly wrong for any juror in that position to reach a verdict one way or the other.

"If after further consideration you find yourselves in a position that you are simply not able to agree no matter how much longer you continue to debate and that's going to remain the position, then you must of course have the courage to say so by your foreman sending me a note to that effect."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oldham Blast: Man Jailed Over Toddler Death

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

A man who blew up his house and killed a toddler who lived next door has been jailed for 10 years.

Andrew Partington, 28, admitted the manslaughter of two-year-old Jamie Heaton who died when his house collapsed due to the force of the gas explosion.

The toddler had been watching his favourite programme on TV while his mother, Michelle, was hanging out washing outside their home in Shaw near Oldham.

It is believed Partington, who lived next door, had cut his own gas pipes following a row with his partner, Tania Williams.

Partington allegedly cut his own gas pipes

Manchester Crown Court heard Partington was often violent towards her and the night before the explosion she had left with their five children and gone to stay with relatives in Rochdale.

The court heard Partington then sent Ms Williams messages from his Blackberry, including one at 11.31pm which read: "Told u next time u live me house go. Whith me u left your kids with no dad no home good bye boom gas pipe cut allredy fild up boom."

Andrew Menary QC told the court there was a "massive explosion" at 11.15am on June 26 last year which was the result of the ignition of gas which had built up over more than 11 hours.

The court heard the explosion "obliterated" Partington's house on Buckley Street and the Heaton's home next door.

Police who were patrolling nearby saw debris falling from the sky. When they arrived on Buckley Street they said the destruction was like a "scene from a warzone".

Jamie Heaton was crushed to death under the weight of falling rubble.

Victim Jamie Heaton

Partington suffered 39% burns in the explosion and spent several weeks in hospital. He also admitted destroying eight homes. The court heard the cost of repairing the damage is likely to total several millions of pounds.

When he was arrested Partington accepted he had been drinking heavily before the explosion and accepted he could have cut the gas pipes but told police his intention would have been to harm himself and no-one else.

The court was told we will never know whether the gas was ignited deliberately or whether it was done accidentally, by the lighting of a cigarette.

Adam Roxborough, defending, said Partington was truly sorry and had written "if he could give his life to bring Jamie back he would".

Jamie's parents, Kenny and Michelle, were in court to see their former neighbour jailed and wept as the details of what happened were read out.

An aerial view of the devastation caused by the gas blast

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's hearing they described their devastation at losing their beloved son, as well as "everything" they owned.

Mrs Heaton said they were "angry that (Partington) could be so selfish" and that now they were trying to focus their lives on their other two children and the charity set up in Jamie's memory, the Jamie's Something Special Memorial Fund.

Following the sentencing, Ian Rushton from the Crown Prosecution Service said the jail-term would "give Andrew Partington time to reflect on the immeasurable pain that his actions have caused Jamie's family and the extensive damage he has caused to people's homes and lives". 

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Older Women To Get IVF Treatment On The NHS

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said women aged 40 to 42 will be allowed one cycle of IVF so long as it is their first attempt.

Previously Nice only recommended treatment up to the age of 39.

Lesbian couples will also qualify for IVF, as long as they have a diagnosed infertility problem.

And people with infectious diseases, such as HIV, or a physical disability that prevents them from having intercourse will also be eligible.

Nice chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon said recent advances in fertility treatment had prompted a review of existing NHS guidelines.

He said: "It is because of these new advances that we have been able to update our guidelines on fertility, ensuring the right support, care and treatment is available  to those who will benefit the most."

Same-sex couples have welcomed the change to NHS rules.

Lesbian author Kiki Archer and her civil partner Nicki have two children through private fertility treatment.

She told Sky News the guidelines meant all couples could have children, regardless of income.

"Whenever same-sex couples have children it is carefully thought through," she said.

"This opens another door. It's another option for those families who can't afford fertility clinics."

But there are concerns that the NHS will refuse to implement the guidelines.

It currently funds around 25,000 IVF attempts a year, each costing £3,000.

And a survey in 2011 revealed a postcode lottery, with only a quarter of NHS areas funding the full number of cycles recommended by the existing guidelines.

Dr Sue Avery of the British Fertility Society said: "There is a huge variation in the provision of treatment.

"There are some areas where couples can access three cycles as recommended by Nice. But in other areas couples may get one and some there is no funding at all."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hilary Mantel: Kate Is A 'Plastic Princess'

Pregnant Kate: Baby Bump On Show

Updated: 12:16am UK, Tuesday 19 February 2013

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Kate's baby bump will be on show for the first time in the UK later today as she visits a project for women recovering from substance dependence.

The visit to Hope House, a project run by her patronage Action on Addiction, comes just days after photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing a bikini on holiday in Mustique were published in some magazines overseas.

The engagement also follows the announcement Action on Addiction will receive support from the philanthropic organisation 100 Woman in Hedge Funds.

As Kate approaches the half-way mark of her pregnancy, she will meet women recovering from drug abuse at the 23-bed residential treatment centre.

Action on Addiction was one of four patronages chosen by the Duchess in January last year.

Kate's last public appearance was in January when she unveiled her first official portrait in London.

Her baby bump was first photographed while she and Prince William took a private holiday on the private Caribbean island of Mustique.

Italian Magazine Chi and the Australian publication Woman's Day both decided to publish the photographs of the couple, on holiday with the Middleton family.

Today's engagement in Clapham will be the Duchess' first solo engagement of 2013.

St James' Palace has also announced the details of her next public engagement on March 5th.

The Duchess will conduct three public engagements in the Lincolnshire town of Grimsby.

The royal mum-to-be will visit the town's National Fishing Heritage Centre, the Havelock Academy and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire-and-rescue service has been working in partnership with The Prince's Trust since 2011 and it will be the first time Kate has visited project run by her father-in-law's trust.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

MPs: Tax Dodgers 'Should Be Named And Shamed'

Tax dodgers should be "named and shamed" to stop celebrities using legal loopholes to cut the amount they pay to the Treasury.

The Public Accounts Committee says promoters of tax avoidance schemes are "running rings" around the taxman by taking advantage of the time it takes HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to shut them down.

It wants promoters and those who use their schemes to be listed and called on HMRC to be "more robust in its approach".

Margaret Hodge, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said: "We have seen how public anger and consumer pressure can influence large companies, such as Starbucks, to behave more responsibly.

"HMRC should publicly name and shame those who sell or use tax avoidance schemes in order to discourage such activity.

"With at least £5 billion lost to tax avoidance each year, HMRC has got to get much more robust in its approach."

Margaret Hodge chairs the Public Accounts Committee

Mrs Hodge highlighted the case of comedian Jimmy Carr, who last year admitted making a "terrible error of judgment" after using a complex avoidance scheme to reduce his tax bill.

The K2 scheme he used enabled its members to pay income tax rates as low as 1%.

"Promoters of 'boutique' tax avoidance schemes like the one brought to our attention by the case of Jimmy Carr, are running rings around HMRC," Mrs Hodge said.

"They create schemes which exploit loopholes in legislation or abuse available tax reliefs such as those intended to encourage investment in British films, and then sign up as many clients as possible, knowing that it will take time for HMRC to change the law and shut the scheme down.

"Their clients can then take advantage of this window of opportunity to make a lot of money at the expense of the UK taxpayer, while the promoter simply moves on to a new scheme and repeats the process.

"It is a game of cat and mouse and HMRC is losing."

According to the Public Accounts Committee, some tax avoidance schemes have been shut down because of tax rules that require promoters to notify HMRC of new tactics.

However, it warned officials do not know how many promoters are ignoring the requirement.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stafford Hospital: Police Probe New Evidence

New evidence about the scandal at Stafford hospital is being examined by police and prosecutors that could lead to criminal charges, according to reports.

Matthew Ellis, the police and crime commissioner for Staffordshire, said detectives were looking at "information not in the public domain" relating to deaths at the hospital.

He said "every single piece of information" - much of which is yet to emerge - would be examined.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "There is more information that is not in the public domain that is going to be used to identify individuals who should be looked at.

Robert Francis QC's report found numerous serious failings

"They will use every single piece of information - published and not published. The police are going to look at absolutely everything, every piece of information it is possible to get."

It is believed that some of the information being considered comes from inquests into deaths at the hospital.

Mr Ellis said he wanted the people responsible for what happened to be held to account and has told the force to act quickly.

The Francis report highlighted the "appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of patients" at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009.

Patients were left for hours sitting in their own faeces, food and drink was left out of reach, and hygiene was so poor that relatives had to clean toilets themselves.

Prime Minister David Cameron apologised for the "truly dreadful" mistreatment and neglect at the trust.

Speaking in the Commons after the 1,782-page report was released, Mr Cameron announced a raft of changes designed to ensure that any future failures in NHS organisations are detected and dealt with quickly.

The public inquiry was ordered after a separate report revealed that between 400 and 1,200 people more people died than expected at Stafford Hospital over a four-year period.

The inquiry, which sat for 139 days, heard from more than 250 witnesses including victims, their family members, patients' groups, charities, medics, politicians, unions and representatives of some of the royal colleges.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

FTSE 100 Firms' Legal Liabilities Shoot Up

The amount of money Britain's companies have set aside to cover regulatory and legal costs has shot up, according to legal publisher Sweet & Maxwell.

It said the legal liabilities reported by the FTSE 100 companies jumped by 22% last year to £22.1bn - up from £18.2bn the previous year.

This reflects the amount companies set aside to cover regulatory and legal costs in 2013.

Aggressive fines are the main cause of the increase, Sweet & Maxwell said - rather than more legal cases between businesses.

The banking industry saw the sharpest rise following a year in which it was forced to pay out billions of pounds to customers mis-sold payment protection insurance.

Legal liabilities in the sector, which made almost 30% of the annual total, shot up from £991m in 2011 to £6.3bn last year.

But it was the oil and gas industry that was hardest hit, setting aside £8.1bn - although this was less than the £8bn clocked up in 2011.

The managing director of Sweet & Maxwell, Teri Hawksworth, said: "When the credit crunch started there was the expectation that legal liabilities would rise as commercial pressure led to more litigation between companies.

"What was not so widely forecast was that the biggest source of this pain would be from regulatory bodies."

These include the Financial Services Authority in the UK and the US Securities and Exchange Commission among others, she said.

Ms Hawksworth added that it remains to be seen whether the fines are a result of normal processes or because regulators and Government agencies are following public pressure to punish "big business" more severely.

Businesses are responding to the rise in these costs by broadening the role of in-house legal teams, she said.

"In-house counsel is moving from a role of just managing the costs of external law firms to clear up after a problem to taking a bigger role in ensuring that legal problems do not arise in the first place."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Horsemeat: Three Arrested Released On Bail

Three men who were arrested by police investigating the horsemeat scandal have been freed on bail, as political pressure mounts over the speed of the Government's response.

Dafydd Raw-Rees, 64, the owner of Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, a 42-year-old man from Wales and a 63-year-old man from the Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, have been released from custody pending further inquiries.

All were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act and have been told they must answer police bail at a later date.

The time it has taken for all the meat considered at risk of being contaminated with horse DNA to be tested as led to criticism of the Government's response.

Ed Miliband told Sky News that the Government had not been as "sure footed" as it could have been.

He said: "I think they've been too slow to get a grip on this situation ... we want this resolved quickly."

Farmers have advertised in newspapers urging people to buy British

FSA tests have so far found around 1% of all products checked around the country contained a significant amount of horse meat.

Environment Secretary Owen Patterson said he wants all other tests to be completed by the end of next week.

"It's up to the food businesses to carry out the tests, to organise their businesses and to provide quality products," Mr Patterson told Sky News.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it has passed on evidence from two premises in north London and one in Yorkshire to Europol - the European Union's law enforcement agency - after it emerged they were raided on Thursday.

The two sites in Tottenham, North London and one in Hull were searched by Food Standards Agency officials, who removed computer equipment and took away meat samples to be analysed.

The FSA has conceded it is unlikely the exact number of people in the UK who have unwittingly eaten horse meat will ever be known.

Farmers, meanwhile, have advertised in national newspapers urging people to buy British.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has taken out adverts in 10 national newspapers, saying it is championing British produce as a direct response to the contamination and mislabelling of some beef products.

According to NFU President, Peter Kendall, British farmers feel let down.

Dinos & Sons Continental Foods was raided in Tottenham it has emerged.

"Farmers are very proud of what they produce and are, quite rightly, furious about this current situation. They feel let down by what looks like a criminal element in an isolated part of the food chain," he said.

One of the businesses being investigated by the FSA in Tottenham is Dinos & Sons Continental Foods.

The company released a statement saying it is co-operating with officials, adding: "At no time has Dinos & Sons produced or manufactured anything that is under investigation or is the subject of any possible contamination or mislabelling."

The arrests of the men in Wales and Todmorden took place after plants were inspected on Tuesday by the FSA.

The problem has gone beyond supermarket-bought burgers and lasagnes - hotels, restaurants and pubs have also been affected after confirmation from Whitbread, which owns Premier Inn, Beefeater Grill and Brewers Fayre, that horse DNA has been found in its food.

Cottage pie served to children at 47 schools in Lancashire has also tested positive and has now been removed from menus.

Tesco and other retailers have gone on the defensive this weekend by placing adverts in national newspapers and placing videos on Youtube in an attempt to tell consumers what they are doing to tackle the issue.

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teenager Shot Dead In East London

A teenager has died and a man is fighting for his life after being shot in east London.

The pair were shot in Hindrey Road, Clapton, east London, at 8.20pm on Saturday, Scotland Yard said.

Paramedics took them to hospital where the younger victim, 19, died. A 32-year-old man is understood to be in a stable condition.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the teenager died at about 11.10pm.

Police said there was no clear motive for the shootings yet and no-one has been arrested.

"At this very early stage we must retain an open mind regarding the circumstances of the incident and any motive," the spokesman said.

"Detectives from Trident are leading the inquiry and an incident room will open in the morning."

A post-mortem examination is to be arranged later.

More follows...

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More