CQC 'Cover-Up': Father's Anger Over Scandal

The father of a boy who died at a hospital where failings were allegedly covered up by Care Quality Commission chiefs is calling for a "forensic" new investigation into the scandal.

James Titcombe, whose son Joshua died in the Cumbria maternity unit, told Sky News he also wants police to look at a criminal probe into who knew what, saying: "The allegations couldn't be more serious."

He was speaking after the CQC named the three people it said were present during a discussion about deleting a critical report about the regulator's inspections of Morcambe Bay NHS Trust.

The names of chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and media manager Anna Jefferson had initially been withheld by the CQC, but they were identified on Thursday following mounting pressure on the regulator.

The three women deny that they tried to hide the report.

Mr Titcombe, who campaigns on behalf of other grieving families, said he had been "absolutely appalled" to learn that a cover-up appeared to go to the top of the organisation.

Joshua Titcombe's family raised concerns after he died at Furness Hospital

He said: "What's absolutely essential now is that the facts are obtained.

"We've heard about discrepancies and still there's denial.

"I think the police should now consider a formal criminal investigation to establish the facts."

He continued: "I believe the issues could be wider. I'm very concerned about that and I think what's essential now is that there's a forensic examination."

Any fresh investigation should ask probing questions about anyone else in the Department of Health was aware of a cover-up, he said.

Since the three women's names were revealed, Ms Bower has resigned from her current post as a non-executive trustee of the Skills for Health lobbying body, while Ms Finney has been sacked as chief commercial officer of internet domain company Nominet.

More than 30 families have taken action against Furness General - run by Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - in relation to deaths and injuries to mothers and babies since 2008.

Anna Jefferson denies suggesting the CQC review should be suppressed

It is claimed Ms Jefferson, who still works for the CQC, said during the key meeting: "Are you kidding me? This can never be in the public domain nor subject to FoI (a Freedom of Information request)."

But Ms Jefferson has told Sky News she "felt sick" and wanted to waive her anonymity when she realised she was implicated in a review by City consultants Grant Thornton, which was published on Wednesday.

She said she does not remember any instruction to delete the review being given and denies suggesting it could never be made public.

She claimed she pushed for proper external scrutiny of the CQC's actions regarding Morecambe Bay "several times", the last time on July 17, 2012, during a meeting where the CQC's current chief executive David Behan was present.

Mr Titcombe called for police to interview Ms Bower and senior colleagues after it emerged the CQC's former head and two officials previously declined to speak to officers about the baby's death.

The CQC told Cumbria Police in an email that statements from the trio would "not add any value" as they had no "direct day-to-day" involvement in the case.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has suggested that current or former CQC staff found to have been involved in a cover-up could be stripped of their pensions.

He said the CQC must follow "due process" but he would back the regulator "absolutely to the hilt" if it chose to take action against individuals.

Asked what action should be taken against those responsible, Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "These are very, very serious allegations and they should have very, very serious consequences if they are proved.

The Health Secretary said those behind any cover-up could lose pensions

"I know the CQC are looking into disciplinary procedures and what can be done, what sanctions are available, whether you can have forfeiture of pensions, all those things."

Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron agreed that all sanctions should be on the table.

Tory health select committee member Charlotte Leslie called for an inquiry into a "sinister, Mafia-like network at the centre of NHS".

Meanwhile, Mr Behan and current CQC chairman David Prior are to be summoned to appear before the Commons health select committee.

Its chairman, Tory former health secretary Stephen Dorrell, said he has asked for them to be given an "early opportunity" to give evidence.

Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was given a clean bill of health by the CQC in 2010, but an internal review was ordered by the hospital regulator in 2011 into how failings resulting in deaths had gone unnoticed.

Grant Thornton's investigation found that the report was not made public because it was decided it was too critical of the CQC.

The investigators concluded this "might well have constituted a deliberate cover-up" by the CQC employees who decided it should not be made public.

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Jeremy Forrest: Child Sex Teacher Jailed

A teacher who fled to France with his pupil and spent a week on the run has been jailed after admitting five counts of sexual activity with a child.

Jeremy Forrest, who was convicted by a jury yesterday of abducting the schoolgirl, pleaded guilty to the additional charges and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

During his trial, the prosecution labelled him a "paedophile" and said he "groomed" the vulnerable teenager.

The 30-year-old insists he still loves the youngster, who broke down in tears and told him she was "sorry" as he was found guilty of her abduction.

She did not attend court for his sentencing but in a victim statement her mother said she had been "robbed" of her childhood.

"I feel like the worst mother in the world," she said. "Someone has got my child and I never saw it coming."

Forrest is led onto a plane to be extradited from France last October

Passing sentence, the judge at Lewes Crown Court said Forrest "chose to ignore the cardinal rule of teaching" by starting a sexual relationship with the teenager shortly after her 15th birthday.

"Your behaviour in this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people - her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school and respect for teachers everywhere," Michael Lawson QC said.

"It has damaged you too but that was something you were prepared to risk. You now have to pay that price."

He added: "I have seen nothing in the evidence which shows that at any stage you tried to provide proper boundaries between yourself and her, to discourage her, or let other staff deal with the matter appropriately.

"Indeed all the evidence shows that you encouraged her infatuation and provided opportunities for her to communicate with you and be alone with you."

Forrest arrived back in the UK with his head covered

Rumours of Forrest's relationship with the teenager surfaced in February last year, when the pair were spotted holding hands during a flight on a school trip to Los Angeles.

The girl, now 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted having a crush on Forrest, who taught at Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They exchanged flirty text messages, tweets and photographs but denied any wrongdoing when pressed by the school.

Fearing their relationship was about to be exposed when police were alerted last September, Forrest abducted the youngster and took her on a cross-Channel ferry to France, where they spent a week on the run.

The couple dyed their hair, assumed false names and dropped a mobile phone into the English Channel in an effort to avoid being caught, but were tracked down after a Europe-wide search.

The family of Jeremy Forrest give their reaction to the sentencing

In a statement read outside court, Forrest's family said he was "very sorry for his actions" during what they described as a "sorry episode for all concerned".

"Despite the verdict and today's sentence, there are many factors in this case which need to be examined and addressed, including the failure to properly act on early warnings," they said.

"We sincerely hope these are looked into and not simply swept under the carpet."

A spokesman for Bishop Bell School said the staff had only "very limited anecdotal hearsay and no evidence of relationship" when concerns were first raised.

He said that before Forrest fled the country, the school had intended to remove him from the classroom while an internal investigation into possible professional misconduct was carried out.

A jury took just two hours to find Forrest guilty of abduction

The spokesman said staff remained "deeply shocked by the actions of Mr Forrest and his betrayal of the trust that was placed in him".

"It is important that the strongest possible message is sent to all who work with children that they hold a position of responsibility and trust for the lives, and wellbeing, of those in their care," he said.

"We take our responsibility extremely seriously and our safeguarding policies and procedures are robust.

"However, we are determined to implement any learning from these events to ensure that all pupils at the school are as safe as they possibly could be."

Jeremy Forrest was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling, of Sussex Police, said Forrest was in a "position of responsibility, authority and trust over the children in his care, which included this young, vulnerable victim".

"He grossly abused the trust placed in him and his actions caused distress and anxiety amongst parents, family members and the school community," he said.

Nigel Pilkington, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "We're pleased that Forrest has been sentenced for the full extent of his criminality, sparing his victim and her family from having to go through another trial."

Forrest, of Petts Wood, London, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for each count of sexual activity. The sentences will run at the same time. A one-year sentence for abduction will run consecutively.

The judge also imposed a sexual offences prevention order on Forrest, banning him from working or volunteering with children and unsupervised contact with children forever.

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School Canteens: 8,000 Face The Axe

By Liz Lane, Sky Reporter

As many as 8,000 primary school canteens in England could be at risk of closure because they are losing money.

Head teachers took control of dinner budgets from local councils in April and many have discovered they are draining the finances.

The Government's school meals advisers are asking those in trouble to seek help, rather than close down their kitchens.

Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, who founded the restaurant chain Leon, will make public the details of their recommendations in the next few weeks.

Mr Dimbleby said in the meantime worried head teachers, governors or parents should get in touch.

He said: "We don't think there's a massive risk of mass closures because in the survey we did for our work, 95% of head teachers strongly believe food is important for the behaviour and the attainment of their pupils, but we would like to hear if any schools are thinking of closing their kitchens. We think there are people who can help to keep it open."

Schools are having to be more creative to make school dinners feasible.

In Brill in Buckinghamshire, village butcher and parent John Wilkins has teamed up with a pub to provide meals at cost to the local primary.

He said: "We're not reinventing the wheel with what we do really, and it should be done in schools. Really they should have the facilities and the finance to do it, but if it isn't there then you have to look at another alternative."

Brill primary head teacher Andy Leach said it would be very difficult to persuade outsiders to do it at an affordable price.

He said: "Increasingly there are cutbacks and services are being reduced at a local and central level and schools have to be a bit more creative now about how they provide services and certainly if we were to be using a commercial provider for our school dinners they would struggle to make it pay."

Canteen closures are already beginning. All Saints Church of England Primary School, in Datchworth, Hertfordshire will stop providing school dinners at the end of this term, saying not enough pupils were having them to make it viable.

Mr Dimbleby and Mr Vincent said increasing uptake of hot meals is key to making the service profitable.

They want the number of children choosing school dinners to grow from 40% to 80% over the next five years.

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Serious Speeding Offences In UK Jump By 10%

The number of drivers summoned to court for speeding increased by 10% last year - meaning more drivers are committing the most serious speeding offences, new figures reveal.

In 2012, 48,000 drivers - nearly 1,000 a week - appeared before magistrates for breaking the speed limit - up from 44,000 the previous year.

But the number of fixed penalty notices for lower-level speeding offences fell by 6% to almost half a million.

In total, British motorists were fined £30m for speeding last year.

The police data, obtained by a freedom of information request from LV= car insurance, suggests a growing minority of drivers are committing the worst offences.

Most drivers who were caught speeding said they were spotted by fixed speed cameras (62%), with a significant proportion caught by police with a camera at the roadside (22%) and police without a camera (10%).

Many motorists admit they regularly exceed the speed limit without getting caught.

One in seven (14%) drivers say they avoid detection by memorising where police patrol in their area, while others have technology in their vehicles, such as SatNavs, to detect fixed speed cameras and alert them while driving (16%).

Britain's roads are set to get even faster in future as last week the Government announced that trials of an 80mph speed limit could take place from August this year.

According to current Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines, a motorist caught driving at 80 mph on the motorway (70mph speed limit) would receive an on-the-spot fine but would need to be travelling at 96mph to receive a court summons.

If the speed limit is increased to 80mph, it is possible that only those driving well over 100mph would receive a court summons.

John O'Roarke, managing director of LV= car insurance, said: "While overall speeding convictions are down, it appears that the police are rightly taking a hard line on the most serious speeding offences.

"However, if a driver is caught exceeding the limit by even just a few mph, they can still be fined and given penalty points. Drivers should take care to know their limits to avoid a fine, penalty points or worse."

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Pelka Case: Boy 'Looked Like He Had Worms'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

The aunt of a four-year-old boy who died after allegedly being starved over several months has told a court that she thought he had "worms".

The prosecution claims that Daniel Pelka died of a head injury after being subjected to a campaign of "incomprehensible" cruelty by his mother and stepfather.

Magdelena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek deny murder and causing or allowing Daniel's death.

Speaking through an interpreter, Luczak's sister Sylvia, 24, told Birmingham Crown Court that she had discussed with her sister Daniel's unusual behaviour at school, where he would steal food.

"It was very difficult for me," she told the court.

"I felt very anxious about that, I thought he had worms.

"I experienced sometimes, when he was at my house, he ate a lot and then he was hungry again after that."

Later Ms Luczak told the jury: "Because he was eating so much, yet he was still very thin, I thought something must be wrong with him."

She said her sister assured her that she was feeding her child and that Daniel had seen a doctor one month before his death in March last year.

She also said Magdelena told her that Daniel's natural father "had the same eating problems".

Ms Luczak said she had noticed her nephew getting thinner three months before his death. She saw him a few days before he died and told the court he "was pale and sad".

Ms Luczak said her sister had had bad relationships with men and that "sometimes she drank too much".

She said the couple argued when they were drinking together and became violent.

Jurors were told Krezolek "wasn't nice" towards Daniel, and called him "ginger".

She said she thought Daniel was "scared of him" and she had seen her sister smacking the boy on his bottom. She had once noticed a bruise on his head.

Ms Luczak said she had told her sister to leave her partner and offered to help her.

She told the court she was called to the couple's house after Daniel's death and said the couple told her he had been sleeping when he stopped breathing.

Later she had a conversation with his stepfather, saying: "He said that Daniel was beaten up several times and nothing happened before, then Mariusz started crying."

She said her sister was sitting holding Daniel's photo at the time: "She didn't react at all when he said that ... I think she was shocked."

The prosecution has alleged that Daniel was "imprisoned" in his bedroom at his home in Coventry and force-fed salt.

Daniel's body was found to have 24 distinct areas of injury and was "extremely emaciated".

Krezolek, 33, and Luczak, 27, have both admitted a charge of child cruelty but deny causing Daniel's death.

The trial continues.

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Moors Murderer Brady 'Should Stay In Hospital'

Moors murderer Ian Brady remains "chronically psychotic" and should stay in a hospital for treatment, his mental health tribunal has heard.

The child killer suffers from long-term paranoid schizophrenia which does not "just fade away and die", according to the clinician in charge of his care at high security Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside.

The 75-year-old was constantly paranoid about the Home Office and the Prison Officers' Association and believed hospital staff were acting as their agents.

His wish that he could "send cancer in an envelope" to one doctor was one example of anger which was the driving force behind his paranoia.

Giving evidence, Dr James Collins said Brady also had paranoid beliefs about fellow patients he thought were spying on him.

He believed others were "out to get at him" and he responded by spilling shredded oats cereal outside one man's door and smearing the chair of another with jam and honey.

Dr Collins said he was not aware Brady was paranoid before he was jailed for life in 1966 for murdering five youngsters in the 1960s, burying their bodies on Saddleworth Moor near Manchester.

Brady and Myra Hindley became known as the Moors Murderers

He said he had managed to hold down a relationship with his partner in crime, Myra Hindley, a job and "sideline work" as a pornography dealer when he was a young man.

He was transferred to Ashworth Hospital in 1985 after displaying psychotic symptoms since 1967.

Dr Collins said he believed his illness is "clearly still active".

He told the panel: "He is better, much better and able to control it (the illness) but his life is still severely handicapped by his disorder, his mental illness.

"He is acting like someone who is chronically psychotic."

An expert witness called by Brady's legal team had previously told the panel Brady was not suffering from schizophrenia but from a severe personality disorder which could be handled in prison.

The murderer, who has been on hunger strike since 1999 and is force-fed through a tube, claims he has faked psychotic episodes in the past.

Brady has said he wants to end his life in prison where he could not be force-fed.

The pair killed five children and buried their bodies on Saddleworth Moor

Since 2012 there had been 11 noted references in hospital records of him talking to himself.

The hearing was told Brady was still smoking after 60 years and had chronic obstructive airways disease but his health was better after last year when he suffered from a recurrent chest infection, had an epileptic fit and suffered two broken bones in his spine.

Brady was not present at the hearing, which is being relayed to the press and public at Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

He walked out on Tuesday after complaining that he had heard evidence "ad nauseam" cited by Ashworth Hospital and did not want to sit in when Dr Collins was speaking.

Brady and Hindley lured children and teenagers to their deaths, with their victims sexually tortured before being buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Pauline Reade, 16, disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12, 1963 and John Kilbride, 12, was snatched in November the same year.

Keith Bennett was taken on June 16, 1964 after he left home to visit his grandmother; Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day 1964; and Edward Evans, 17, was killed in October 1965.

Brady was given life at Chester Assizes in 1966 for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward.

Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John's murder, and jailed for life. She died in jail in November 2002 at the age of 60.

The hearing continues on Thursday.

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Child Porn: Web Giants Summoned For Talks

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Leading internet companies have been summoned to a Westminster meeting in a bid to crack down on child abuse online.

Firms including Google, Microsoft and Facebook will attend a summit called by Culture Secretary Maria Miller on Tuesday.

They will be expected to come up with ways to stop access to child abuse images and report back with an action plan.

The meeting comes after two child killers were found to have viewed child pornography online.

Mark Bridger, convicted of murdering five-year-old April Jones, and Stuart Hazell, who murdered Tia Sharp, 12, both accessed abusive images.

In the 12 days since the summit was announced, web giants have already taken some action.

Mark Bridger accessed child pornography online before killing April Jones

TalkTalk and BT have announced that customers trying to view inappropriate material will be confronted by a pop-up warning.

And Google has pledged millions of pounds to organisations who try and tackle child abuse online, such as the Internet Watch Foundation who maintain a blacklist of images.

Culture Secretary, Maria Miller said:  "Child abuse images are horrific and widespread public concern has made it clear that the industry must take action. Enough is enough.

"In recent days we have seen these companies rush to do more because of the pressure of an impending summit. Imagine how much more can be done if they seriously turn their minds to tackling the issue. Pressure will be unrelenting."

It is unclear exactly what concrete action – if any – the government will demand from the meeting.

Companies providing internet services in Britain have already rejected a call from the Prime Minister's adviser to impose parental filters for adult content as a default setting when viewing content online.

The Internet Service Providers Association said it remained opposed to default filtering because it "can be circumvented and lead to over- or under-blocking" of offensive web pages.

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Soldiers Wait To Hear On Army Job Losses

Thousands of soldiers will learn today whether they have lost their jobs in the latest round of Army redundancies.

A fresh tranche of up to 5,300 Army personnel are to be handed redundancy notices as the Government tries to reduce the number of regulars to 82,000 by 2018.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the move was necessary to help balance the books but insisted operational capability would not be affected.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed there will be no further reductions in manpower in the next round of spending cuts.

But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the redundancy notices being issued today "represent not just broken promises but a failing strategy" to reform the British Army.

The MoD said it had attempted to maximise the number of voluntary redundancies.

A spokeswoman said: "Tough decisions needed to be made to address the multi-billion pound deficit and bring the defence budget back into balance.

"This unfortunately included making some redundancies across the armed forces. However we can be clear that these reductions will not affect our operational capability.

"The end of combat operations in Afghanistan and the restructuring of our armed forces means they will be more reflective of the complex global situation and more adaptable to future challenges and threats."

But Mr Murphy said: "The Government has a flawed plan for reforming the British Army. There is a huge effort going into sacking soldiers but nowhere near as much is being done to plug the gap by recruiting new reservists.

"These redundancies represent not just broken promises but a failing strategy, and the level of voluntary applicants will be a signal of morale."

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