Shetland: Three Missing After Helicopter Crash

Three people are still missing after a helicopter carrying 18 workers from an oil rig ditched in the North Sea off Shetland.

The Super Puma L2 aircraft went down at 6.20pm on Friday around two miles west of Sumburgh airport as it was returning to Shetland from the Borgsten Dolphin platform.

A search operation involving coastguard, police, RAF and local lifeboats was launched and 15 people were rescued from the water.

One of the rescued workers is moved on a stretcher

The helicopter's life rafts were found empty and some wreckage from the aircraft has started to wash up at the southern end of Sumburgh, the coastguard said.

A spokeswoman said: "There were 18 people on board and 15 have been recovered, there is still an ongoing search and rescue mission for the three missing people.

"The people that were involved are in varying stages of injury, no one has walked away from this without a scratch."

The helicopter ditched two miles from Sumburgh airport

Amanda Smith, the mother of one of the workers Sam Smith, said her son had telephoned her from hospital after suffering cuts in the crash.

She told Sky News: "He said it seemed to lose power and there was no time to brace, they just dropped into the sea.

"He was by the window so he was able to escape that way as it rolled over.

"He said he had come off better than a lot of people. It didn't seem real, I would say two hours later it's just beginning to sink in."

Some of those rescued were able to walk unaided after the rescue

The helicopter's operator CHC said it was flying for oil company Total and that the aircraft lost communication as it approached the airport on the southern tip of Shetland's main island.

A spokesman said: "The aircraft was on approach to Sumburgh Airport at approximately 6.20pm when contact was lost with air traffic control.

"We can confirm there were 16 passengers on board, and two crew."

Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are travelling to the scene.

A coastguard boat searches the North Sea

Two lifeboats from Lerwick and Aith are being helped at the scene by helicopters from the coastguard, RAF Lossiemouth and two Bond rescue helicopters.

A Northlink ferry carrying 201 passengers between Shetland and Orkney was also diverted to the scene to help.

Police Scotland said a major incident had been declared. Sumburgh Airport was closed to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident.

Several helicopters have been involved in the search operation

A spokesman said all those rescued had been taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

Jim Nicholson, RNLI rescue co-ordinator, said the helicopter is in an "inaccessible" position and that weather in the area is not "particularly good".

He said: "There was a fresh wind, not overly strong, visibility is not particularly good and it was misty in the area but I doubt if that would have had any impact on causing whatever happened to the helicopter.

"I believe that the helicopter is in a fairly inaccessible position at the moment near the cliffs. There's quite a lot of tide in that area so any person in the water could be carried some distance away.

Last year, two helicopters ditched in the North Sea only six months apart. All passengers and crew were rescued in both incidents, which were found to be caused by gearbox problems.

:: CHC has set up a helpline for concerned relatives on 01224 296 866.

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Legal Highs: Ban At Reading Leeds Festival

By Frazer Maude, North of England Correspondent

The parents of a man who died after taking a "legal high" drug have welcomed a decision by the organisers of a music festival to ban the products from their sites.

Christopher Scott, 23, from Swindon, died at the Great Western Hospital in July after taking the chemical marketed as AMT (alpha-Methyltryptamine).

His father Michael says the family are "so pleased" that promoters of the Leeds and Reading Festivals have banned the sale or use of legal highs at the events this weekend.

"Everybody knows illegal drugs there's a big risk behind them but as soon as you start saying 'oh it's a legal high' you get the misconception that it's okay," said Michael.

"They think it's not dangerous, it's legal, so it must be fine. And then they get the impression they can take as many as they want."

Christopher was a father of three and only after his death did his family find out that his partner was pregnant with his fourth child.

The Government finds it hard to legislate against the drugs, as whenever one is banned the manufacturers only have to make slight changes to the chemical formula in order for the new compound to be legal again.

Former legal highs Mexxy and Black Mamba are now classified as Class B drugs, and are therefore illegal.

Sky News bought a number of the legal highs from a shop in the North of England, including AMT which Mr Scott took.

The drug has been banned at Reading Festival

They are also freely available on the internet.

The websites, sales staff and the packaging of the chemicals all warn that these items are not for human consumption, but are for research purposes.

Melvin Benn, organiser of the Leeds Reading Festivals, said: "We were happy to fall in line with the Home Office request and not allow these legal highs to be sold on site.

"No one really knows what effects these things have, and of course people are still going to take them. But they won't be buying them from retailers at any of my festivals."

Mr Scott and his family used to make annual visits to the Reading Festival.

Although delighted that the festival has banned the drugs, Mr Scott's father believes more needs to be done.

"The Government needs to really seriously rethink what it's doing with this concept of legal highs. Just the word 'legal' is making everyone think it's ok to do it, that it's fine. It's not," he said.

"I'm never going get my son back. I only had one son and I'm never going to get him back."

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One In 10 Five-Year-Olds Has A Mobile Phone

Nearly one in 10 children has a mobile phone by the time they are five-years-old, according to a new study.

On average, youngsters are bought their first handset at the age of 11, soon after starting secondary school.

However, some 9% of parents said they bought their children a phone when they were five.

The study by comparison site uSwitch.com also found that mums and dads spend an average £125 on their children's gadgets - and around £246 on their own mobiles.

But despite the cost, 42% said they did not pay close attention to their children's phone bills.

Only a quarter capped their youngster's contracts, while just 3% said they disabled the data function on their phones so that they could only be used for making calls or sending text messages.

Children spend an average £11 per month on their mobiles - less than parents who spend £19.

However, more than one in 10 (11%) of youngsters spends more than their mother or father, the research showed.

The study - of 1,420 parents with children aged under 16 - also revealed that parents were likely to spend more money on their first-born's phone and bills than on those of any younger siblings.

Ernest Doku, a telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: "As well as arming kids with mobiles for emergencies and peace of mind, I'd imagine that many parents have bought their kids smartphones just to stop them commandeering their own when bored."

He suggested parents cap their children's mobile bills, adding: "Make sure that when they're at home, your kids are browsing the web using wi-fi instead of consuming data by connecting to the internet via 3G or 4G."

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Northern Ireland: Man Charged With Two Murders

A man arrested over the suspicious deaths of three women in the same town has been charged with murdering two of them.

The 66-year-old suspect is accused in connection with the two deaths in Dromore, County Down, Northern Ireland.

He has been charged with the murders of 47-year-old Michelle Bickerstaff in April 2012 and Margaret Weise, 50, in August 2007.

A file on the death of the third woman, 52-year-old Elizabeth McKee, who died in December 2002, has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service.

The suspect has been in custody since Tuesday when he was arrested at his home where police removed a number of items.

The man, who has also been charged with other unspecified offences, is due to appear in court in Armagh later.

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David Miranda: Lawyers Seek Court Injunction

Lawyers acting for the partner of a journalist held for nine hours under anti-terror laws will take his case to the High Court later.

They have applied for an injunction preventing the police or government using, copying and sharing data from electronic devices seized from David Miranda during his detention.

Two judges will also hear their argument that David Miranda's detention at Heathrow Airport was a misuse of Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and breached his human rights.

Mr Miranda is the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who has worked with US whistleblower Edward Snowden on a series of security services exposes.

He was held without charge for the maximum time permitted under the anti-terror legislation as he changed planes on a journey from Berlin to his home in Brazil.

Scotland Yard says the detention was "legally and procedurally sound" but that is disputed by Mr Miranda's lawyers and has been questioned by a former Lord Chancellor.

Mr Miranda lives in Rio de Janeiro with Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald

Lord Falconer, who helped introduce the law, insisted the powers were designed to be used against those suspected to be terrorists.

But Home Secretary Theresa May said the police were right to act if they believed Mr Miranda was in possession of material - that he was carrying for Mr Greenwald - that could be useful to terrorists.

"If the police believe someone has in their possession highly sensitive stolen information that could help terrorists that could lead to a loss of life, it is right the police should act," she said.

"I believe schedule 7 of this act enables police to do that."

The Guardian said the injunction would seek to prevent the use of data taken from the laptop, phone and other electronic equipment confiscated from Mr Miranda at the airport.

Gwendolen Morgan, of Bindman Partners, told the newspaper the legal action had been taken because the authorities had failed to give sufficient guarantees.

Mr Miranda met Laura Poitras, who has worked on the Snowden NSA stories

Lawyers are expected to argue that the police exceeded their powers by detaining a transit passenger who had not formally entered the UK.

They say in their submission that Mr Miranda was "subjected to intensive, wide-ranging and intrusive questioning...but he was not asked, nor was it suggested - that he was involved with terrorist groups, organisations or terrorist activity", the newspaper reported.

He was warned that a failure to co-operate could result in him being jailed.

The case is already being looked into by David Anderson, the independent reviewer of anti-terror laws.

Downing Street was aware of the planned detention but insists there was no political involvement in the decision - which was also communicated to the White House.

A poll found that while most voters (66%) backed the need for the powers used to detain Mr Miranda, only 37% thought it was right to use them on the grounds he might have data useful to terrorists.

The survey by YouGov showed the public thought it unreasonable to threaten him with jail for not disclosing passwords, by 47% to 38%, and half said his computer and phone should have been handed back when he was released.

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Half Of Seven-Year-Olds Not Exercising Enough

Half of all seven-year-olds do not get enough exercise - with girls far less active than boys according to new research.

Only 51% of all seven-year-olds in the UK achieve the recommended hour of exercise every day.

That figure is broken down to just 38% of girls hitting the target, compared with 63% in boys.

Half of this age group is also sedentary for an average of 6.4 hours or more every day, experts have found.

The research, published in the online journal BMJ Open, found that children of Indian origin and those living in Northern Ireland are among the least physically active of all seven-year-olds.

Experts from the University College London's Institute of Child Health examined data for 6,497 children.

The youngsters wore an accelerometer to measure exercise levels which was attached to an elastic belt round their waist. It was only removed when bathing or when the children went to bed.

In total, the experts were able to record 36,309 days of data based on the children wearing the accelerometer for at least 10 hours a day over the course of a week.

Girls were more sedentary and less active than boys while only one in three (33%) children of Bangladeshi origin met the recommended daily exercise minimum.

Among the four UK countries, children in Northern Ireland were the least active, with just 43% managing the recommended 60 minutes, while children in Scotland were most likely (52.5%) to achieve the target.

Around 52% of all children in England managed the 60 minutes but there were regional differences.

The researchers wrote: "The results of our study provide a useful baseline and strongly suggest that contemporary UK children are insufficiently active, implying that effort is needed to boost physical activity among young people to the level appropriate for good health."

Senior author Professor Carol Dezateux, from the Institute of Child Health, called for policies to promote more exercise among girls.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We have committed to giving primary schools £300m of ring-fenced funding to improve PE and sport, and help all pupils to develop healthy, active lifestyles, and have invested a further £3m to extend Change4Life School Sports Clubs to areas with the highest childhood obesity."

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Walthamstow Shooting: Man Fired On By Police

A man is in hospital after being shot by police in east London, Scotland Yard has said.

Police were called out to Hale End Road in Walthamstow just after 8.15pm after receiving reports that a man had been seen with a handgun.

The Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Officers, including armed officers, attended and shots were fired at the man by officers.

"Police at the scene provided first aid to the man for gunshot wounds before the arrival of London Ambulance Service shortly afterwards."

The man, whose details have yet to be confirmed, has been taken to hospital for treatment.

A spokesman said the force's directorate of professional standards had been informed and the Independent Police Complaints Commission would also be notified.

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Skin Cancer Death Rates 70% Higher Among Men

Hundreds more men die from the most serious form of skin cancer than women - despite similar numbers being diagnosed with the disease each year.

Latest figures from Cancer Research UK show death rates from malignant melanoma are 3.4 per 100,000 men - 70% higher than the 2.0 figure for women.

Incidence rates are similar, with 17.2 men per 100,000 diagnosed compared with 17.3 women.

The figures mean that, of the 6,200 men who develop melanoma each year, 1,300 die from the disease, while 900 of the 6,600 women who develop it die.

Experts say that since the early 1970s, death rates in men have increased by 185% compared to a rise of only 55% in women.

And Professor Julia Newton-Bishop, a Cancer Research UK dermatologist, said key risk factors for melanoma included excessive exposure to UV from sunlight or sunbeds, pale skin colour and a high number of moles, and a family or personal history of the disease.

"Research has suggested the difference between the sexes could be in part because men are more likely to be diagnosed when melanoma is at a more advanced stage," she said.

"But there also seem to be strong biological reasons behind the differences and we're working on research to better understand why men and women's bodies deal with their melanomas in different ways.

"We also know that men and women tend to develop melanoma in different places - more often on the back and chest for men and on the arms and legs for women. If melanoma does develop on your back then it may be more difficult to spot - asking your partner to check your back is a good idea."

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK, said: "One of the reasons for the difference may be attitudes towards seeing a doctor. We tend to be reluctant to 'waste the doctor's time - men are especially likely to put it off.

"If something goes wrong with the car then you sort it out straight away. The same should go for you - if you, or your partner, notice any unusual or persistent changes then see your GP. The key thing is to get to know your skin and what's normal for you so you're more likely to notice something out of the ordinary.

"It's also essential to take care not to burn, particularly given the sunny weather we've had this summer. Sunburn is a clear sign that the DNA in your skin cells has been damaged and, over time, this can lead to skin cancer.

"When the sun is strong, pop on a t-shirt, spend some time in the shade and use a sunscreen with at least SPF15 and good UVA protection - the higher the star rating, the better.

"These habits are particularly important for young men and women, because it's far better to prevent skin cancer in the first place. That means avoiding sunbeds, as well as taking care in the sun. Research has shown that using sunbeds for the first time before 35 can increase your risk of malignant melanoma by nearly 60%."

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Anti-Fracking Protesters Cleared By Police

Police have been forcibly clearing protesters from a road outside a potential site for fracking in Balcombe, West Sussex.

Activists are taking part in a six-day Reclaim The Power demonstration after Cuadrilla began carrying out exploratory drilling at the site.

Hundreds of people have staged noisy protests in the face of a police presence of more than 400 officers.

Campaigners have submitted a formal complaint about the "violent" arrest of one protester, claiming he was detained by an officer without any identifying number.

Police said that 29 people had been arrested at Balcombe for public order offences, including Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.

They were held after Sussex Police served a notice under section 14 of the Public Order Act, believing the crowd might cause public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community.

Caroline Lucas joined protesters at the site, and was among those arrested

Shouts of "shame on you" and "no violence" erupted from the crowd as police tried to move the protesters back to the main gate of the site.

Demonstrators chanted: "We are peaceful, what are you?"

The No Dash For Gas group said that the "excessive force" used on one man was caught on camera and is demanding the police officer be suspended.

A protester is removed from the Cuadrilla HQ in Lichfield

It claims: "He was violently arrested, wrestled to the floor, his head pushed into the ground by an officer's hands and knees, whilst the officer in question was not wearing epaulettes with an ID number."

Sussex Police said it was looking into the video and that the officer's epaulette may have fallen or been pulled off.

Vanessa Vine, founder of Frack Free Sussex and Britain and Ireland Frack Free, said the police presence was disproportionately heavy and added that Reclaim The Power were "not nasty, violent people" but "altruistic people who are challenging what the Government is doing".

Protesters glued their hands together through a plastic pipe

Earlier, Sussex Police said on Twitter: "We would like to reiterate that protesters aren't being kettled and are free to leave the site as they wish."

Cuadrilla condemned the "illegal direct actions" against its staff and operations.

Campaigners opposing the controversial process of extracting shale gas blockaded the firm's headquarters while others superglued themselves to the building occupied by a PR firm used by the energy company.

The action at Cuadrilla in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and at PR company Bell Pottinger in central London comes on the first of two days of "mass civil disobedience" which campaigners have pledged to carry out.

Protesters' tents outside the office in Lichfield

In a statement, Cuadrilla said: "Protesters broke into our Lichfield office, harassed our staff and chained themselves to filing cabinets.

"The police are on site dealing with this. We condemn all illegal direct actions against our people and operations."

The firm insisted that the morale of its staff at various sites is "fine", and they and the teams supporting the company are "doing a magnificent job".

"They know that what we are doing is legal, approved and safe, and that shale gas is essential to improve our energy security, heat our homes, and create jobs and growth," the firm said.

"Cuadrilla is rightly held accountable for complying with multiple planning and environmental permits and conditions, which we have met and will continue to meet.

"Clearly we are held to one set of legally enforceable standards while some protesters believe that they can set out and follow their own."

Campaign group No Dash For Gas said six protesters superglued themselves to the glass door of Bell Pottinger at 8am and deployed reinforced arm tubes to stop anyone else getting inside.

Meanwhile, it said 20 protesters shut down the Cuadrilla site in Lichfield by blockading it with their bodies. It said two people inside the building had also hung banners from it saying: "Reclaim the power" and "Power to the people".

A group of around 20 protesters also demonstrated outside the constituency office of Balcombe MP and Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude.

Activists also targeted the home of former Tory minister and George Osborne's father-in-law Lord Howell, who drew criticism recently when he said fracking should take place in England's "desolate" North.

The group erected an estate agent's sign outside the Peer's house reading 'For Shale - Desolate Properties Ltd'.

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Ed Miliband Snubbed By A Third Of Labour Voters

A third of Labour voters believe Ed Miliband should not lead the party into the next General Election.

According to a new poll only two out of every ten voters are satisfied with the Labour leader's performance.

Of those who voted for Labour in 2010, 34% said he should not lead the party into the 2015 general election, while just 46% said he should.

The ICM poll carried out for the Daily Mirror also found that 21% of voters said they are satisfied with the way he is leading the party, double the number (42%) said they are dissatisfied.

Among Labour voters, 45% said they were satisfied and 31% dissatisfied.

Mr Miliband will find it harder to dismiss criticism of his management style following publication of the poll by the newspaper which has traditionally backed his party.

Mr Miliband's approval rating is particularly low among older and male voters.

Of those polled, 61% of pensioners said they are unhappy with his leadership, while 48% of men say he is not up to the job, compared to 37% of women.

However, the poll offers Mr Miliband a few glimmers of hope.

Given a choice of eight Labour MPs, Ed Miliband came out on top with 16%, when asked who would be the best person to lead the party.

Martin Boon of ICM said: "Let's not be in any doubt that with less than half (45%) of 2010 Labour voters satisfied with him (31% dissatisfied) he is polling miserably."

ICM Research interviewed an online sample of 1,435 adults aged 18 and over on August 16 and 18. The data has been weighted to the profile of all adults.

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British Military HQ Moves To Camp Bastion

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The headquarters of the British military operation in Afghanistan has moved from Lashkar Gah to Camp Bastion.

It marks a major milestone in the conflict.

For seven years, Lashkar Gah has been the location where all British military operations had been planned and commanded.

The move is part of the British plans for the withdrawal of all combat troops by the end of 2014.

It is a demonstration of how British troops are taking a step back in the fight against the Taliban and letting the Afghan Security Forces take the lead.

In total 260 personnel have moved back to Camp Bastion from Lashkar Gah.

Eight Chinooks worked in pairs for a day, moving people.

It has been described as one of the most complex headquarters moves since the Second World War.

The move to Camp Bastion marks a major milestone in the Afghan conflict

The Lashkar Gah base is still open however, for reconstruction and local liaison workers. A small number of British troops are still based there for force protection.

And the Commander of British Forces in Helmand Province has told Sky News that the decision to withdraw from the country was the right one and is on track.

"I think the end of 2014 timeline, the 5,200 (troops to be left in Afghanistan) by Christmas actually act as very effective forcing functions," Brigadier Rupert Jones said.

"It encourages us to step back and every time we've stepped back the Afghans have impressed us by the degree to which they've stepped forward, not least this Summer."

Although the security situation in Helmand Province is markedly better than a few years ago, that isn't necessarily the case for other parts of the country.

In Kabul, the country's capital, Afghan police and soldiers man checkpoints and guard posts at every road junction. International forces are still in the city, but to provide a supporting role when needed.

The country is currently on higher alert with the end of Ramadan and Eid.

Last week the Taliban attacked a civilian compound in the west of the country. A number of foreign workers were killed.

The task of closing British bases and moving equipment back to the UK has been under way since October 2012.

There are currently 11 British bases remaining, down from 137. By October of this year that number is set to be around five.

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Medical Chief Admits Having Taken Cannabis

England's chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, has revealed she experimented with cannabis while she was studying at university.

She admitted eating hash cookies several times while studying medicine at Manchester University but stopped after having hallucinations.

Dame Sally also suggested that drug addiction should be treated as a medical problem rather than as a criminal justice issue.

She has previously claimed that criminalising drugs deters addicts from getting medical help.

Speaking on BBC Radio 3's Private Passions, Dame Sally said of her university days in the 1970s: "I never smoked so I couldn't smoke joints but I did have some cookies, until on the third or fourth occasion I had hallucinations and I've never touched it since.

"And I think I understood through that what my father said to me when I told him I was going to try it. He said: 'Drugs decivlise you. You stop being a civilised person.'

"And I understood why so many people were against even the soft drugs. So, like the fact I do enjoy wine, I'm open about my past."

She added: "Of course it's a medical problem, I mean addiction is a medical problem, and it becomes a public health problem and then our society is choosing to treat that as a criminal justice issue."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Drugs ruin lives and cause misery to families and communities and this Government is committed to breaking the cycle of drug and alcohol dependency.

"The UK approach is to consider drug use as both a health and criminal issue and so the CMO is not saying anything new."

Dame Sally, who was appointed as England's chief medical officer in 2010, has always stopped short of supporting the decriminalisation of any illegal drugs.

in 2009, the Government's former drugs adviser Professor David Nutt was controversially forced to resign over his views on decriminalising cannabis.

He was sacked as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in 2009 after he criticised the decision to upgrade cannabis from a Class C to a Class B drug, claiming that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful.

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Prince Harry 'Irritated' By Landmine Failings

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Prince Harry is "irritated" by the reluctance of some countries to assist financially with clearing landmines in countries like Angola, one of his charities has revealed.

The Prince is following in the footsteps of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, by taking up the cause of clearing landmines from African countries scarred by years of conflict.

HALO Trust chief executive Guy Willoughby told Sky News that Harry has been frustrated by the lack of progress on the issue in some areas.

He said: "The Prince has got quite a bee in his bonnet about it, and that's good.

"He is irritated that the countries which supplied these landmines are not actually putting in any funds to clear them, 25 years on."

Harry travelled to Angola last week to see mine clearance projects run by The HALO Trust. The 28-year old is Patron of the Trust's 25th Anniversary Appeal. 

Harry visited the most heavily mined town in Africa during his trip

During the visit, the Prince met de-mining teams and toured minefields in the Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale, the most heavily mined town in Africa.

"People love having Prince Harry here because he's so engaged and because he's technically minded. He just gets it, from what the de-miners are trying to do, to the latest technology", added Mr Willoughby.

Diana, Princess of Wales, made a controversial visit to Angola in support of The HALO Trust in the months before she died in 1997.

She called for an international ban on landmines and was accused of being a "loose cannon", meddling in politics.

Asked whether the Prince will court similar criticism should he take on the countries who he believes are falling short of their obligations, Mr Willoughby said: "I don't know. Whether by nailing his colours to the mast he court the same criticism as his mother did, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Harry's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, visited Angola in 1997

In photos from his Angola trip, Harry is seen talking with members of a de-mining team, surrounding a Russian TM-57 anti-tank mine.

In another, he is seen standing next to a South African Olifant tank destroyed in the battle for Cuito Cuanavale in 1988.

Since 1988 The HALO Trust has found and destroyed  more than 1.4 million landmines and more than 11 million items of large calibre ordnance, including 195,000 cluster bombs,

Mr Willoughby said: "The commitment shown by Prince Harry plays an invaluable role in helping us to raise awareness of HALO's work and mission. 

"Wars may be over but many people are still unable to resume their normal lives, facing the threat of death or injury by landmines every day."

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Drug Mule Lindsay Sandiford's Bali Jail Ordeal

By Jonathan Samuels, Sky News Correspondent

British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is on death row in Bali, Indonesia, and Sky News is the first UK broadcaster to have been given rare access behind the walls of the notorious prison since her sentencing for drug trafficking.

Kerobokan jail is nicknamed Hotel K by its inmates but it could not be more different from the luxurious resorts just down the road on the holiday island.

Behind its decrepit walls, violence, corruption, drugs and filthy conditions are commonplace.

Sandiford, 57, was sentenced in January to death by firing squad for smuggling more than £1.5m worth of cocaine into Bali.

In a recent photograph, obtained by Sky News, she is seen looking dishevelled in her stifling hot cell.

With a cigarette in her mouth she crouches over what appears to be an article of clothing that she is sewing.

Kerobokan jail, nicknamed Hotel K by its inmates

In the background another inmate sleeps on the floor. This overcrowded jail, built for 350 inmates, now houses more than 1,000.

Sandiford did not want to speak to us on camera, but fellow inmate and drug mule Renae Lawrence, who the Brit has befriended, gave a glimpse into how she is managing.

"I think people should already know how she is coping. She doesn't deserve what she got," Lawrence said.

Asked if Sandiford was finding it tough, she replied: "I think anybody would."

Prosecutors recommended Sandiford be given a 15-year prison term but judges disagreed and sentenced her to execution.

Australian Myuran Sukumaran, who was born in west London, is also on death row for smuggling drugs.

An inmate shows off a weapon which is said to be commonplace in the prison

Intelligent, softly spoken and full of remorse, he knows his execution could come at any moment.

"You can be strong for a short time, almost invisible, but after a long time stuff just wears you down," he said.

"After eight-and-a -half years it does weigh heavy, especially on our families."

Once a death row prisoner has lost appeals through Indonesia's high court and supreme court, only the president can grant clemency.

If that fails, eventually and without warning, the inmate will be removed from his/her cell in the middle of the night and taken to a remote wooded area, beach or neighbouring island. There he/she will be executed by firing squad.

The last decision a prisoner will make is whether to stand or kneel to be shot.

Australian Paul Conibeer served time for not paying a hotel bill

Former inmate Australian Paul Conibeer, 44, was recently released from the jail after serving a sentence for not paying a hotel bill.

Providing an insight into the bizarre world of Kerobokan prison, he said: "Murderers, rapists, and paedophiles, it's just too crazy."

He added: "You can't have women and men in a prison together. You can't have drugs and alcohol and hookers and all this crazy stuff going on. It's not supposed to happen that way."

Sandiford has lodged a further appeal against her death sentence. She awaits the outcome while sweating it out in Hotel K.

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