London Bus Crash Leaves 32 Passengers Injured

A bus has crashed into a tree in south London, injuring 32 passengers, seven seriously, say police.

The accident happened around 10.50am on Kennington Road near the Imperial War Museum, while the number 59 bus was en route to King's Cross.

Emergency services said several passengers had to be freed from the wreckage.

A 19-year-old woman and a man were the last to be rescued and are among those most badly hurt. 

Kennington Road has been closed and several bus routes redirected

Clive Robinson, from London Fire Brigade, said workers had to cut through the bodywork of the bus to free several passengers. Ladders were used to reach those on the top deck.

"The actual floor of the bus was starting to collapse and we had to shore that up," he said. 

Earlier, police reported that two people were in a critical condition.

Among the injured were two police officers

Among the injured were two police officers who had been travelling on the bus. They were taken to hospital - one with a suspected broken arm. 

Kevin Brown, of the London Ambulance Service, said the injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to serious limb and head injuries. 

Aerial footage from the scene showed the front of the bus, operated by Arriva, collapsed around the trunk of a tree.

The TfL have promised a 'thorough' investigation into the crash

Transport for London said there will be a thorough investigation.

Mike Weston, TfL's director for buses, said: "Our first concern is, of course, for the driver, passengers and others involved in this incident.

"There will be a thorough investigation into this incident as a matter of urgency."

Police are still unsure what caused the crash

Police say they still do not know what caused the crash and will be viewing CCTV footage from inside the bus.

Chief Superintendent Glyn Jones said: "At this stage we don't know what's caused the collision - that is subject to an ongoing investigation." 

Kennington Road was closed in both directions with routes 3, 59, 159 and 360 on diversion. 

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10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rochdale Men Jailed For Sexually Grooming Girl

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Five men who sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl in Rochdale have been jailed for a total of 26-and-a-half years.

The majority of the defendants were first arrested last year after a separate trial at Liverpool Crown Court revealed a largely Pakistani-heritage child sex ring abusing white girls in the town.

The victim, now aged 20, was described as having a "chaotic early life" who would drink to excess, take drugs, stay out late and sniff lighter fluid and self harm. She spent several years in care before returning to her mother's house where her drink and drug taking continued.

Manchester Minshull Crown Court heard that many of her abusers plied her with vodka and cannabis before committing their offences in 2008 and 2009.

Congolese refugee Freddie Kendakumana, 27, of Illminster, Rochdale, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for rape and sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Rafiq Abubaker, 32, of Freehold, Rochdale was jailed for two-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child, whilst takeaway worker Roheez Khan, 27, of Ashfield Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation.

A fourth man, Chola Chansa, 33, of Illminster, Rochdale, was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a child.

Taxi driver Abdul Huk, 37, of Ouldfield Close, Rochdale, was sentenced to four years for sexual activity with a child.

Questions have been asked after it was revealed that Kendakumana had been arrested and interviewed before by Greater Manchester police (GMP).

The Rochdale victim in this case was not linked to men convicted last year

In December 2008 the girl complained to police that she had been raped the previous month.

The girl was told at the time by an interviewing male officer to stay away from Kendakumana while the investigation continued. But Sky News understands social care and health professionals dealing with the youngster failed to pass on her other reports in 2008 and 2009 that she was having consensual sexual contact with older men whom she labelled "boyfriends".

Kendakumana was finally charged, along with his co-defendants, in October 2012 - nearly four years after the girl made the initial rape complaints as several men went on to abuse her in the intervening period.

From the end of 2008 to October 2011, the girl had undergone a total of 23 video-recorded police interviews.

The victim was first prompted to go to the police on the advice of a health support worker when she disclosed that Kendakumana was sexually forcing himself on her.

There was no suggestion that the victim had been "passed around" by the different men, although some were known to each other, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, she wrote: "I look back on the years I was drinking and hanging around with these men and see that this period has impacted on my education and what exams I failed to pass, this has followed into my adult life.

"I think a lot about that period of my life, I sometimes blame others like my mum, social services and the men, but I sometimes blame myself," she said.

In May last year, nine men were jailed for the systematic grooming and sexual abuse of five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - in Heywood and Rochdale. Their trial at Liverpool Crown Court resulted in a national debate over the role of gangs of largely Pakistani-heritage men in grooming white girls.

A subsequent report from child safeguarding chiefs ruled that social workers, police and prosecutors had missed opportunities to stop the exploitation in Heywood and Rochdale.

Social workers in Rochdale were criticised for their approach to dealing with underage girls who were deemed to be "making their own choices" in engaging in consensual sex.

Although the girl in the latest court proceedings was being abused at about the same time, she had no known links with any of the defendants who were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court.

The convicted men in the Manchester trials came from a range of nationalities - Kendakumana and Chansa are from Congo, Abubaker is a Kurd, while Huk and Khan are believed to be of Pakistani heritage.

Several knew each other but it was not the prosecution case that they all acted as an organised gang.

The case has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rochdale Sex Abuse Review To Level Criticism

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

A report into a series of child sex abuse cases in Rochdale is expected to level strong criticism at police and social workers.

It follows a high-profile court case last year which involved a sex trafficking gang who preyed on vulnerable young girls.

The victims had been plied with alcohol and drugs before being passed around a group of men who were largely of Pakistani origin.

Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Police have already apologised for the way they handled the cases and fears have been raised in the town that dozens of victims may have slipped through the net.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said the review has taken too long

The serious case review findings come as five men who also sexually exploited a "profoundly vulnerable and damaged" 15-year-old girl in Rochdale are due to be sentenced.

Again in this case the victim's abusers plied her with alcohol and cannabis before committing their offences.

One man was originally arrested on suspicion of rape in 2008 and freed after the girl was told by police not to have further dealings with him.

He was finally re-arrested four years later. Several men had gone on to abuse the teenager in the intervening years.

Authorities involved in the care of Rochdale's vulnerable children say they have learned lessons but the education department is expected to be critical of today's report from the town's Safeguarding Children Board.

Rochdale's MP Simon Danczuk has been campaigning for a better response to the problem from Greater Manchester Police in particular.

He told Sky News: "I'm very frustrated that it's taken so long. They should have started a serious case review straight after the trial in Rochdale and that would have ensured that we could have moved on from it much more quickly.

"There's no doubt about it, this grooming case has cast a very negative shadow right across Rochdale for far too long."

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10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Adebolajo's Brother Refuses To Condemn Murder

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The brother of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo has refused to condemn the murder of Lee Rigby.

Jeremiah Adebolajo told Sky News: "My brother's blood is no more expensive than the blood of an Afghan child, and I think Lee Rigby's blood is no more expensive than an Iraqi child."

When asked if he had any regrets over the murder in Woolwich, Mr Adebolajo replied: "My main regret is that foreign troops are in the land of the Muslims."

Like his brother, Mr Adebolajo believes the foreign policies of the UK and US justify direct action against British soldiers, who they believe are "enemy combatants".

The brothers grew up in Romford, Essex, with their parents and sisters.

Adebolajo was intercepted by Kenyan military trying to enter Somalia

Mr Adebolajo said: "We had a fairly ordinary upbringing. We grew up as any other Nigerian young men do I guess in east London, nothing extraordinary.

"My parents were protestant Christians. As you can imagine with most African parents, they consider religion to be something of great importance and we were no different."

Of his brother he said: "He was always concerned I guess with morality. He was a happy guy, he's a bit of a joker.

"A very athletic individual. He loves sports, football. He is an Arsenal fan."

Michael Adebolajo converted to Islam in his first year at the University of Greenwich, his brother said.

His brother said: "I don't think that there was a particular moment when he said 'I have become a Muslim'.

Lee Rigby was murdered in Woolwich on May 22

"It was a gradual change we saw in him in which he became more devoted, more practising."

Michael Adebolajo started joining street protests. In 2006 he was arrested and jailed for 51 days for assaulting two police officers when a demonstration turned violent outside the Old Bailey.

His brother, who also converted, rejects the assumption that Adebolajo was radicalised by prominent figures such as Anjem Choudray.

Jeremiah Adebolajo said: "The media have taken this line that we have a disenfranchised young Christian boy who was radicalised by these bogeymen figures, Anjem Choudary, Omar Bakri, it is a simplistic narrative.

"The truth is they had no ideological influence over my brother, none at all."

In 2010, Michael Adebolajo left his family in London and travelled to Kenya hoping to get into Somalia.

Adebolajo and Adebowale will be sentenced in January

It is widely reported he was trying to join al Shabaab but was intercepted by the Kenyan military and then deported back to the UK.

The British security services had a hand in his repatriation to Britain and were trying to recruit Adebolajo to work with them.

His brother said: "I think the public have a right to ask the security services why they brought him back when he wanted to live there under Islamic law."

Jeremiah Adebolajo also now lives abroad working as an English teacher at a university in Saudi Arabia, but has returned to London for the trial at the Old Bailey.

He has visited his brother inside HMP Belmarsh several times, most recently last Saturday.

Mr Adebolajo claimed that Michael was attacked by prison officers who knocked out the killer's front teeth during his time in prison.

He said: "It was five guys who attacked him. One of the reasons he doesn't want to get them (his teeth) fixed is because he doesn't want to hide it.

"My brother is the kind of guy that if we were young we would have a fight, he could get your teeth knocked out so it is not a huge major big deal."

On Thursday, the union for prison workers, POA, said in a statement that all five officers had been exonerated with the Crown Prosecution Service deciding there was no case to answer.

When challenged about the murder of Lee Rigby, Mr Adebolajo said he understood the condemnation of the public but added "we have to think about the reasons for these actions".

He said: "The young lady in Afghanistan who was raped and killed and burned alive by American soldiers, do you think her parents felt something similar to the parents of Lee Rigby?

"There is a danger in dehumanising Afghanistanis.

"My brother is under no illusion that his actions are going to have an overarching effect on foreign policy. He considers himself a soldier."

10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ian Watkins Gets 35 Years For Sex Offences

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has been given a 35-year sentence for 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Watkins, 36, shook uncontrollably as he was handed down the sentence at Cardiff Crown Court, and it was greeted by shouts of "yes" from the public gallery.

Two female co-defendants, aged 21 and 25, were also sentenced for various sex offences, with 'Mother A' given 14 years in jail and 'Mother B' given 17 years. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Watkins was convicted of sexually touching a groupie's 11-month-old baby, then trying to have sex with the child. He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child porn videos, some of which he had made himself.

Justice Royce QC told Watkins and the two co-defendants, "what you three did plumbs new depths of depravity".

He said the singer had a "dark and sinister side" and the gravity of his offences "breaks new ground".

Watkins with his former bandmates

"You had many fawning fans. That gave you power. You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to have help satisfy your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their own children," he said. 

"Away from the highlights of your public performances lay a dark and sinister side."

Earlier, he said Watkins had a "high risk of causing emotional and sexual harm to children and to women".

Sentencing Watkins to a combined jail term of 29 years, he told him that he was being given an extended sentence.

That means he will serve two-thirds of the term behind bars before being released.

On his release in around 20 years' time he would normally have been on licence for the remainder of the 29-year term. The judge, however, added an additional six years on licence and told him: "Your total sentence, therefore, is one of 35 years."

Watkins performing at the Reading Festival in 2010

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle, who is heading up a hunt for potential further victims, described Watkins as a "committed, organised paedophile".

"My view of him as an individual is that he has shown no empathy, no sympathy or any remorse for what he has done," he said. 

"It's as if he just doesn't care. He has shown no remorse at any time. In my view, that potentially makes him the most dangerous sex offender I have ever seen."

Mr Doyle said Watkins committed the worst kind of offending and specifically targeted babies. 

He said: "Offending against children does not get any worse. We are not talking about children of any age here, we are talking about babies. I don't know what he is not capable of."

The abuse is thought to be so widespread that investigating officers have since launched a nationwide appeal for other potential victims to come forward - and are pursuing new leads after receiving a flurry of calls.

Watkins performing at the Download Festival in 2008

Mr Doyle told Sky News the force is working with Homeland Security in the US, Interpol and police in Germany to identify if any other children have been abused by Watkins.

"I think that it is likely that there will be further matters put to him, and others, in due course," he said. 

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating whether the force failed to act quickly enough after tip-offs about Watkins, has said it will now also look into South Yorkshire and Bedfordshire forces.

The IPCC said it is investigating the effectiveness of the responses by South Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and South Wales forces to reports of abuse made to them between 2008 and 2012.

Earlier today, the court heard Watkins spoke with a female fan from prison the day after admitting two counts of attempted baby rape and said he intended to issue a statement when he was sentenced saying it had all been "mega lolz".

In the conversation, Watkins denied being a paedophile and expressed exasperation at the way people had reacted to his guilty pleas.

Using text-speak, he said: "I'm going to put out a statement on the 18th just to say it was mega lolz.

"I do not know what everybody is getting so freaked out about."

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10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

HMRC Failing To Pursue Big Business, MPs Warn

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

The tax man is too keen to chase small businesses for unpaid tax and is not doing enough to prosecute multi-national firms, according to MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee claimed Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not know how much tax is lost through aggressive tax avoidance and said it should be more willing to pursue prosecutions.

The committee's chair, Margaret Hodge MP, said: "HMRC has not clearly demonstrated that it is on the side of the majority of taxpayers who pay their taxes in full."

She accused the department of allowing the Tax Gap, the theoretical amount that is not collected, to grow by £1bn in 2011/12 and of not doing enough about it.

She said: "HMRC holds back from using the full range of sanctions at its disposal.

"It pursues tax owed by the smaller businesses but seems to lose its nerve when it comes to mounting prosecutions against multinational corporations."

The committee's report said inspectors should be "more willing... to test the boundaries of the law".

"HMRC has not attempted to gather intelligence about how much tax revenue is lost through aggressive tax avoidance schemes," it claimed.

The focus on tax avoidance follows on from high profile cases like Starbucks - which was revealed last year to have only reported taxable profit in the UK once in 15 years.

The company has since promised to pay £20m.

In a statement a spokesman for HMRC said it "strongly disputes the conclusions in the Public Accounts Committee report and challenges the committee's selective and misleading use of figures".

The department said it had secured more than £50bn of additional tax from compliance work since 2010, including £23bn from large businesses.

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10.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jayden Parkinson: Police Find Body In A Grave

Police searching for missing teenager Jayden Parkinson say they have found a body in a cemetery grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The 17-year-old disappeared on December 3 after she was last seen leaving the town's railway station.

Formal identification of the body has yet to take place but police believe the remains are of the missing teenager.

Police made the discovery in All Saints Church in Didcot

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: "We can confirm that we have found a body in a recently disturbed grave in the cemetery of All Saints Church, Didcot.

"The body is believed to be that of missing teenager Jayden Parkinson. A formal identification has yet to take place.

"Officers and forensic scientists will continue to work at the cemetery throughout the night and into the next day.

"Jayden's family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers.

Ben Blakely leaves court charged with Jayden's murder

"Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult and distressing time."

More than 100 uniformed officers and detectives have been working on the case, backed up by specialists from the National Crime Agency, since she disappeared.

Yesterday, the man leading the investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray, said police had received "significant and highly relevant information" which led their search efforts to a specific grave in the churchyard.

Throughout today there has been a large police presence at the church, with forensic teams unloading equipment from vehicles and carrying it into the cemetery where a meticulous and careful search has been carried out.

Jayden's former boyfriend, 22-year-old Ben Blakeley, of Reading, has appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.

A 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice between December 3 and December 10 by assisting in the disposal of Jayden's body and other evidence.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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06.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ian Watkins Gets 35 Years For Sex Offences

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has been given a 35-year sentence for 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Watkins, 36, shook uncontrollably as he was handed down the sentence at Cardiff Crown Court, and it was greeted by shouts of "yes" from the public gallery.

Two female co-defendants, aged 21 and 25, were also sentenced for various sex offences, with 'Mother A' given 14 years in jail and 'Mother B' given 17 years. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Watkins was convicted of sexually touching a groupie's 11-month-old baby, then trying to have sex with the child. He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child porn videos, some of which he had made himself.

Justice Royce QC told Watkins and the two co-defendants, "what you three did plumbs new depths of depravity".

He said the singer had a "dark and sinister side" and the gravity of his offences "breaks new ground".

Watkins with his former bandmates

"You had many fawning fans. That gave you power. You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to have help satisfy your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their own children," he said. 

"Away from the highlights of your public performances lay a dark and sinister side."

Earlier, he said Watkins had a "high risk of causing emotional and sexual harm to children and to women".

Sentencing Watkins to a combined jail term of 29 years, he told him that he was being given an extended sentence.

That means he will serve two-thirds of the term behind bars before being released.

On his release in around 20 years' time he would normally have been on licence for the remainder of the 29-year term. The judge, however, added an additional six years on licence and told him: "Your total sentence, therefore, is one of 35 years."

Watkins performing at the Reading Festival in 2010

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle, who is heading up a hunt for potential further victims, described Watkins as a "committed, organised paedophile".

"My view of him as an individual is that he has shown no empathy, no sympathy or any remorse for what he has done," he said. 

"It's as if he just doesn't care. He has shown no remorse at any time. In my view, that potentially makes him the most dangerous sex offender I have ever seen."

Mr Doyle said Watkins committed the worst kind of offending and specifically targeted babies. 

He said: "Offending against children does not get any worse. We are not talking about children of any age here, we are talking about babies. I don't know what he is not capable of."

The abuse is thought to be so widespread that investigating officers have since launched a nationwide appeal for other potential victims to come forward - and are pursuing new leads after receiving a flurry of calls.

Watkins performing at the Download Festival in 2008

Mr Doyle told Sky News the force is working with Homeland Security in the US, Interpol and police in Germany to identify if any other children have been abused by Watkins.

"I think that it is likely that there will be further matters put to him, and others, in due course," he said. 

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating whether the force failed to act quickly enough after tip-offs about Watkins, has said it will now also look into South Yorkshire and Bedfordshire forces.

The IPCC said it is investigating the effectiveness of the responses by South Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and South Wales forces to reports of abuse made to them between 2008 and 2012.

Earlier today, the court heard Watkins spoke with a female fan from prison the day after admitting two counts of attempted baby rape and said he intended to issue a statement when he was sentenced saying it had all been "mega lolz".

In the conversation, Watkins denied being a paedophile and expressed exasperation at the way people had reacted to his guilty pleas.

Using text-speak, he said: "I'm going to put out a statement on the 18th just to say it was mega lolz.

"I do not know what everybody is getting so freaked out about."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

06.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jayden Parkinson: Police Find Body In A Grave

Police searching for missing teenager Jayden Parkinson say they have found a body in a cemetery grave in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The 17-year-old disappeared on December 3 after she was last seen leaving the town's railway station.

Formal identification of the body has yet to take place but police believe the remains are of the missing teenager.

Police made the discovery in All Saints Church in Didcot

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: "We can confirm that we have found a body in a recently disturbed grave in the cemetery of All Saints Church, Didcot.

"The body is believed to be that of missing teenager Jayden Parkinson. A formal identification has yet to take place.

"Officers and forensic scientists will continue to work at the cemetery throughout the night and into the next day.

"Jayden's family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers.

Ben Blakely leaves court charged with Jayden's murder

"Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult and distressing time."

More than 100 uniformed officers and detectives have been working on the case, backed up by specialists from the National Crime Agency, since she disappeared.

Yesterday, the man leading the investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray, said police had received "significant and highly relevant information" which led their search efforts to a specific grave in the churchyard.

Throughout today there has been a large police presence at the church, with forensic teams unloading equipment from vehicles and carrying it into the cemetery where a meticulous and careful search has been carried out.

Jayden's former boyfriend, 22-year-old Ben Blakeley, of Reading, has appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.

A 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice between December 3 and December 10 by assisting in the disposal of Jayden's body and other evidence.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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06.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ian Watkins Gets 35 Years For Sex Offences

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has been given a 35-year sentence for 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Watkins, 36, shook uncontrollably as he was handed down the sentence at Cardiff Crown Court, and it was greeted by shouts of "yes" from the public gallery.

Two female co-defendants, aged 21 and 25, were also sentenced for various sex offences, with 'Mother A' given 14 years in jail and 'Mother B' given 17 years. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Watkins was convicted of sexually touching a groupie's 11-month-old baby, then trying to have sex with the child. He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child porn videos, some of which he had made himself.

Justice Royce QC told Watkins and the two co-defendants, "what you three did plumbs new depths of depravity".

He said the singer had a "dark and sinister side" and the gravity of his offences "breaks new ground".

Watkins with his former bandmates

"You had many fawning fans. That gave you power. You knew you could use that power to induce young female fans to have help satisfy your insatiable lust and take part in the sexual abuse of their own children," he said. 

"Away from the highlights of your public performances lay a dark and sinister side."

Earlier, he said Watkins had a "high risk of causing emotional and sexual harm to children and to women".

Sentencing Watkins to a combined jail term of 29 years, he told him that he was being given an extended sentence.

That means he will serve two-thirds of the term behind bars before being released.

On his release in around 20 years' time he would normally have been on licence for the remainder of the 29-year term. The judge, however, added an additional six years on licence and told him: "Your total sentence, therefore, is one of 35 years."

Watkins performing at the Reading Festival in 2010

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle, who is heading up a hunt for potential further victims, described Watkins as a "committed, organised paedophile".

"My view of him as an individual is that he has shown no empathy, no sympathy or any remorse for what he has done," he said. 

"It's as if he just doesn't care. He has shown no remorse at any time. In my view, that potentially makes him the most dangerous sex offender I have ever seen."

Mr Doyle said Watkins committed the worst kind of offending and specifically targeted babies. 

He said: "Offending against children does not get any worse. We are not talking about children of any age here, we are talking about babies. I don't know what he is not capable of."

The abuse is thought to be so widespread that investigating officers have since launched a nationwide appeal for other potential victims to come forward - and are pursuing new leads after receiving a flurry of calls.

Watkins performing at the Download Festival in 2008

Mr Doyle told Sky News the force is working with Homeland Security in the US, Interpol and police in Germany to identify if any other children have been abused by Watkins.

"I think that it is likely that there will be further matters put to him, and others, in due course," he said. 

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating whether the force failed to act quickly enough after tip-offs about Watkins, has said it will now also look into South Yorkshire and Bedfordshire forces.

The IPCC said it is investigating the effectiveness of the responses by South Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and South Wales forces to reports of abuse made to them between 2008 and 2012.

Earlier today, the court heard Watkins spoke with a female fan from prison the day after admitting two counts of attempted baby rape and said he intended to issue a statement when he was sentenced saying it had all been "mega lolz".

In the conversation, Watkins denied being a paedophile and expressed exasperation at the way people had reacted to his guilty pleas.

Using text-speak, he said: "I'm going to put out a statement on the 18th just to say it was mega lolz.

"I do not know what everybody is getting so freaked out about."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

06.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woolwich: Adebolajo Evidence 'Is No Defence'

The claim by Woolwich murder trial defendant Michael Adebolajo that he is "a soldier of Allah" is no defence to the charge of murder, a jury has been told.

Mr Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale are accused of running down off-duty soldier Lee Rigby with a car and then hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives in a street in south-east London. 

Mr Justice Sweeney told the jury at the Old Bailey that nothing said by Mr Adebolajo in his evidence amounts in law to a defence to the charge of murder.

He said: "I have ruled that nothing said by the first defendant and... his evidence - in short he was a soldier of Allah and was justified in doing what he did - amounts in law to a defence to this count.

"So nothing that he has said amounts in law to a defence to count one."

In his closing speech, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said Islam was not on trial and told the jury: "The action of these two men acting together as they did, crashing their car into and breaking the back of Lee Rigby and then killing him is indefensible in the law of this country.

"Killing to make a political point, to frighten the public or to put pressure on the Government or as an expression of anger is murder."

He added: "It remains murder whether the Government in question is a good one, bad one or a dreadful one. We submit to you, it is clearly murder."

Fusilier Rigby's family were in court as Mr Whittam showed the jury once again images of bloodied knives, and also replayed video clips of the May 22 killing.

Replaying a video clip showing Fusilier Rigby being dragged into the road, Mr Whittam said: "Is this a humane killing?

The jury was again shown images of knives found at the scene of the killing

"Is this a killing with an attempt to decapitate and then deposit the body in the middle of the road causing traffic to stop and turn around?"

Mr Whittam recalled witness accounts previously read to the jury as well as extracts from a note handed to Amanda Donnelly-Martin at the scene.

"What was the purpose of what they have done, killing Lee Rigby in the way the had done, in putting the body there and staying at the scene? To borrow a phrase from the first defendant - carnage."

Mr Adebolajo's defending counsel, David Gottlieb, said a proper charge for his client would have been "treason, terrorism, or maybe manslaughter".

In his closing speech, Mr Gottlieb said: "All deaths outside of lawful deaths are cruel, needless and unnecessary.

"Do you think really that this is the cruellest, most sadistic, most callous, most cowardly killing that's ever occured in our nation's history? It isn't."

Mr Gottlieb said Mr Adebolajo's family were "victims" in the case as much as the family of Fusilier Rigby and told the jury that his client had been "demonised and painted as a monster".

The defending barrister also suggested that Mr Adebolajo was "the most law-abiding terrorist in the history of this country" as his client paid for a parking ticket moments before the alleged murder took place.

Mr Gottlieb later explained that he was using a "Sherlock Holmes" approach, adding: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

He said there were unarmed police near the scene, but Mr Adebolajo chose to wait for armed teams, which would not fit with an intention to kill an officer.

The barrister went on to tell the panel of eight women and four men that the issue of what motivated Mr Adebolajo "raises awkward questions" for the UK's political leaders.

He said: "A person, a human being, can do the most evil act in the world and not actually be evil themselves."

The alleged killers no longer face a charge of conspiracy to murder a police officer after the judge discharged the jury from any further consideration of that count.

Mr Adebolajo, 29 and Mr Adebowale, 22, still face counts of murder and attempted murder of a police officer, which they both deny.

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Jayden Parkinson: Police Searching Graveyard

Police searching for missing teenager Jayden Parkinson are focusing their investigation on a churchyard grave.

Thames Valley Police said the hunt for Jayden has led them to the grounds of All Saints' Church in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The 17-year-old girl disappeared on December 3 after she was last seen leaving the town's railway station at about 4.30pm.

Officers are acting on a tip-off received this afternoon, and have liaised with the family of the person buried in the grave.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray said: "This afternoon we received some significant and highly relevant information which leads us to concentrate our search efforts in the Great Western Cemetery.

"We're in the process of securing this grave and would like to emphasise that the family connected with this grave have been informed.

Jayden disappeared on December 3

"We will be here throughout the night and for a number of days. A tent has been erected which covers more than the specific grave we are focusing on.

"The families of those in the graves nearby will be contacted by us and reassured that there will be no disturbance to these graves."

He added that police would be at the site for "a number of days".

Earlier today, Jayden's former boyfriend, 22-year-old Ben Blakeley, of Reading, appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also appeared before Oxford magistrates charged with perverting the course of justice between December 3 and December 10 by allegedly assisting in the disposal of Jayden's body and other evidence.

Police have searched farmland, woodland and derelict buildings for Jayden

More than 100 uniformed officers and detectives have been working on the case, backed up by specialists from the National Crime Agency.

Mr Murray said there was "no indication" that Jayden was alive, and appealed to the public to get in touch if they remembered seeing the teenager "on her own, or in the company of anybody".

He also repeated an appeal for any information about a man seen struggling with a suitcase just outside the village of Upton, near Didcot, in south Oxfordshire, at about 2am, on December 9.

The same man was later then seen with the same suitcase in the Lydalls Road area of Didcot - where All Saints' is located - at about 3.30am.

Detectives have since recovered several suitcases, one of which "may well be significant", Mr Murray said.

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Ticket Rip-Off: Prices 'Marked Up' Online

Theatre-goers and music fans face mark-ups of as much as 38% on the value of some online tickets, according to a Which? study.

Compulsory charges are added to 72% of tickets sold online, said the consumer group, which is launching a campaign to bring down the cost.

Buying online is convenient, offers variety and quick transactions, but nearly half of those surveyed (49%) said the charges had put them off buying tickets for an event altogether.

In one study, only 3% of tickets were being sold at face value without any additional compulsory fees like booking or delivery charges.

Which? says in some cases the practice is illegal.

Which? says that many consumers feel ripped off by ticketing charges

Richard Lloyds, Executive Director of Which?, said: "Consumers tell us they are feeling ripped off by the level of ticketing charges and the lack of transparency means it is almost impossible for people to compare prices when booking online.

"We want to see the ticketing industry Play Fair on Ticket Fees, so that all charges are displayed up-front and with a clear explanation of what they're for."

A Ticketmaster spokesperson told Sky News: "To suggest that ticket fees are hidden is utterly misleading and factually incorrect. 

"Before a customer purchases a ticket, any additional fee is always displayed clearly.

"The fees cover a wide range of costs to provide the services which ensure the best and easiest possible experience for our customers from purchasing a ticket to accessing the event."

One explanation for the additional fees may be the acts themselves. They want their ticket prices to seem as low as possible, leaving the ticket agency to tack on the fee.

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Child Safety: 181 Workers Sacked By Councils

By Sky's Jason Farrell and Liz Lane

More than 180 teachers, social workers and other council staff were sacked last year after being judged to be a risk to children, a Sky News investigation has found.

In 2012/13 3,651 local authority workers were investigated over allegations they had either harmed or abused children or were unsuitable to work with them, figures show.

The statistics - obtained following Freedom of Information requests to councils in England and Wales - show that 695 of those local authority probes were then investigated by police.

A total of 181 staff were subsequently sacked, according to council replies. Experts said it was the first time the total number of dismissals for such offences had been compiled.

The highest number of dismissals were in Westminster and Brighton and Hove, which each sacked 11 staff following complaints about them.

Lewisham Council in south London sacked 10 workers.

One investigating officer said the number of investigations showed that victims of abuse or poor care are finding it easier to make complaints.

Laura Eden, a Local Authority Designated Officer for one council, which we have agreed not to name, told Sky News: "It's good that people are referring professionals that they are concerned about.

"There used to be a time when you had a professional working in your organisation and you didn't feel something was right, or a child made an allegation against them, there were no procedures to deal with that. So it's really important that there are procedures in place, and those procedures are followed."

Teacher Nigel Leat was jailed for abusing young girls in his classroom

But there were warnings that many complaints are still being ignored.

One former teacher, who does not want to be named, told Sky News she was hounded out of her job after raising concerns about a colleague.

She said: "I expected it obviously to be investigated, and if it was proven to be founded then obviously the appropriate action taken, because these are the kind of behaviours that should not be in the classroom.

"I was told that the member of staff in question had admitted having been involved in the incident described by the pupil, but that there wasn't going to be any further action taken because everyone makes mistakes."

Samantha Robson, a child protection lawyer working for firm Slee Blackwell, said cases were still slipping through the net.

"It's very rare people get away with it completely unnoticed," she said. "But unless those complaints are taken seriously or get heard by the right voice, then they're not acted upon. And that's the problem as I see it."

One of the most disturbing cases of recent years is that of primary school teacher Nigel Leat.

He was jailed indefinitely after being found guilty of sexually abusing children in his class at Hillside first school in Weston-super-Mare over a period of 14 years, despite concerns being raised 30 times. He made hundreds of videos of his abuse.

In her first television interview, the mother of one of his victims said: "He spent from the September to the December gaining her trust, and teaching her what to do with the abuse.

"This would also be in front of other children around the table. But because how he filmed it was he put the laptop on a low stool, it would be filmed underneath the table and all the children would be sat around but they wouldn't see it because the table was covering everything."

The mother of one of Nigel Leat's victims talks to Sky News

"How can this happen, how can a teacher do this, who as a parent that's the next person you trust your children with because they are there all day every day and this person, the teacher, Nigel Leat was amazing. He was so friendly. He would always tell me what a really good girl she'd been today. She'd done everything he's asked."

Francesca West, of Public Concern at Work which runs a whistle blowing helpline told Sky News that the number of calls they have had from the education sector has jumped almost two thirds in a single year.

"I am very worried that education is the next tragedy waiting to happen, and as with all whistle blowing, the real tragedy is no-one listens until it is too late.

"We are concerned that this is a bit of a ticking time bomb."

Nevres Kemal, a whistle-blower in the Haringey "Baby P" case told Sky News: "It's like death sentence. You don't know until you are in it.

"We recently set up a website www.rmvf.org so that people can come to us and talk about their experiences and we can provide emotional and practical support, because as a whistle-blower you are totally alone and isolated. It often feels like everyone is against you."

The new figures follow a Sky News investigation which found that up to one in 20 of all children in some parts of the country have been the subject of investigations into whether they are the victims of abuse or neglect.

In 2012/13 English councils launched 127,060 high level investigations - known as section 47s - into children thought to be at risk, analysis of official figures shows.

That is the equivalent of one in a hundred of the country's entire population of under-18s and represents a 42.3% increase in cases since 2009/10.

In some areas the figure is much higher with the equivalent of 4.5% of children in Blackpool, 2.6% in Doncaster and 2.1% in Peterborough being investigated.

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Social Care: Half A Million Cut Out Of Service

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Nearly half a million older and disabled people who would have received social care five years ago have been cut completely out of the system, Sky News can reveal.

Nine out of 10 councils have withdrawn funded care from people with an "inability to carry out several personal care or domestic routines", according to a new study by the London School of Economics.

Academics say it would cost £2.8bn a year to reinstate the care to this group who are judged to have "moderate" needs.

Even to maintain the current situation - in which the vast majority of councils only meet "substantial" and "critical" needs - would cost £1.6bn because of the pressure of an ageing population, they add.

The findings come as MPs prepare to debate the Care Bill in the House of Commons.

The Care and Support Alliance, a group of 75 organisations and charities including Scope, Age UK and the Alzheimer's Society, say the findings reveal the "true scale of the social care crisis".

Richard Hawkes, chair of the coalition, said: "Chronic under-funding has left nearly half a million older and disabled people, who need support to do the basics, like getting up or out of the house, cut out of the care system."

He said the Care Bill had some "strong proposals" that could improve a social care system "on its knees".

"But it's becoming clear that a huge number of older and disabled people will not see any of the benefits of the new system," he added.

Meanwhile, figures obtained under Freedom of Information by Labour show that those who pay for care have seen their charges rise by £50 a month.

The cost of meals-on-wheels have risen by a fifth while community transport prices have almost doubled.

Norman Lamb, the Care Minister, said legislation would help by forcing councils to step into people's lives earlier.

He said: "What this bill does is very much focus on preventing ill health and preventing a deterioration of condition. And there will be a substantial shift of resources in that direction."

He said the Government would put in place a national minimum threshold to end the "postcode lottery" in care.

But campaigners are warning that it will be set at a high level - still cutting out anyone with moderate needs.

In West Sussex, a campaign group called Don't Cut Us Out, warned that the cut-backs were having a serious impact.

It highlighted the case of Julie-Ann Baker who was left disabled after her mother suffered German measles during pregnancy.

She wears a hearing aid in both ears and three years ago her deteriorating sight disappeared completely after she walked into a door.

She received four hours of visits each week from care workers who would bin out of date food, clean up after her guide dog in the garden, vacuum the carpet, change her bed sheets, and take her shopping.

Then suddenly they withdrew the visits - after changing the eligibility criteria.

Ms Baker told Sky News: "I just don't understand why they've done it. Sometimes I sit here and cry. One minute they give you and the next they take away. It can be very lonely."

She said she wished she could blindfold council staff so they could understand how difficult it was. She had mouldy bread in her kitchen and out of date eggs. And when she places a ready meal in the microwave she has no idea what is in it.

Margaret Guest from the Don't Cut Us Out campaign helps Ms Baker at times. She says she sees similar cases regularly.

The campaigner used to be a manager in social care at the local council and says workers are also horrified by the cuts.

At one meeting a councillor said people had to "harden their hearts" and not become emotional.

A spokesman for West Sussex Council said: "We don't comment on individual cases, however we are confident in our assessment of Mrs Baker and others like her and have set up prevention and early intervention services for those no longer eligible for social care support as well as working more closely with our partners in the NHS.

"We have had to make changes to adult social care support because of reductions in local authority budgets brought about by the Government's determination to reduce the national deficit."

Liz Kendall, Labour's shadow care minister, said: "We need to spend money in the right place, helping people to live independently in their own homes."

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Jayden Parkinson: Man Charged With Murder

A 22-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Oxfordshire teenager Jayden Parkinson, police have said.

Ben Blakeley, of Christchurch Road, Reading, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.

He has been remanded in custody to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court later this morning.

A 17-year-old boy, who was also arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody.

Jayden has been missing for nearly two weeks and is thought to have been killed.

She was last seen leaving Didcot Parkway train station, in Oxfordshire, at 4.27pm on December 3 - and did not return home that evening as planned.

The police search is continuing

Specialist search teams backed by helicopters and police dogs have continued searching an area of farmland just outside the village of Upton, near Didcot, where they appear to be focusing on a small patch of woodland near the church.

The police's inquiry team has now grown to more than 100 officers as the force tries to discover what has happened to the teenager.

Oxfordshire police commander Superintendent Christian Bunt said officers were also continuing to sift a grassy area of wasteland in the Lydalls Road area of Didcot.

Residential addresses have also been searched and a recycling bin was earlier removed for further examination.

Supt Bunt thanked the public for their help with the inquiry so far, but urged people not to carry out their own searches as these could prove a risk to the ongoing police investigation.

Jayden was living in a hostel in Oxford before she disappeared

Jayden recently left home in Didcot to live in Oxford.

In a heartfelt plea, her mother Samantha Shrewsbury posted a message on social media site Facebook on Sunday saying: "My baby, my princess, my heart is so heavy, baby girl.

"I just want to see you walk through my door with a 'ta-dar'. I need you little lady, my heart feels so empty without you."

Police have pieced together her movements in the run-up to her disappearance, and believe she walked up Oxford's High Street through the town centre, arriving at the train station at 4.07pm, where she then boarded a train to Didcot.

The very last sighting of her is when she left Didcot train station at about 4.27pm.

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Arrest In Suspected Belfast Double-Murder

Police investigating the suspected double-murder of a middle aged man and woman in Belfast have arrested a man.

The 33-year-old was taken into custody just hours after police revealed details of the deaths in the Ravenhill area in the south east of the city - believed to be a domestic homicide. 

Police said the perpetrator responsible for the deaths may have been in a relationship with one of the victims but don't consider they are a threat to the wider public.

Police said they did not want the identities of the middle-aged victims to become public at this stage as not all of their next of kin had been informed of what had happened.

The incident in the Ravenhill area is thought to be domestic-related

Officers found their bodies in the living room of the flat in the Ravenhill Court area yesterday afternoon.

They had been alerted by a member of the public who noticed the front door of the property had been badly damaged.

Detective Chief Inspector Una Jennings, senior investigating officer with the PSNI, said: "We are treating this at the moment as a suspected domestic homicide."

She appealed to whoever was responsible to come forward.

The detective added: "I would describe it as a domestic incident, we believe that the perpetrator of this crime may well have been in a relationship with one or other of the victims."

She said the exact causes of death would not be confirmed until post-mortem examinations were carried out in the coming days.

Asked if the perpetrator posed a danger to the wider public, Ms Jennings said: "We don't consider they pose a risk to the public at this time."

Detectives have appealed for anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the Ravenhill Court area between 3pm on Wednesday and 3pm yesterday to contact them.

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NHS Chief Calls For Quality Seven-Day Service

Hospitals could face multi-million pound fines if they fail to maintain standards seven days a week, the NHS's medical director has warned.

Sir Bruce Keogh is set to announce his recommendations after a year-long inquiry into NHS care, amid concerns over higher death rates for patients treated on Saturdays or Sundays.

He told the Sunday Times a seven-day NHS "would undo more than 50 years of accumulated custom and practice which have failed to put the interests of patients first". 

The obligation to run a full service 24/7 will be written in to hospital trusts' contractual agreements, with breaches leading to potential fines of up to 2.5% on budgets that can be more than £500m.

Sir Bruce will also publish clinical standards, which set out the level of care that patients can expect in any NHS hospital at the weekend.

He added: "Two things are key to this. One is the availability of diagnostic tests at the weekend, because the key to treating somebody is a diagnosis.

"Then you need someone experienced to interpret those tests and to institute the right treatment." 

Sir Bruce plans to end the practice of junior doctors staffing hospitals at weekends without consultants present and hospitals that fail to adapt will face losing the right to use junior doctors altogether.

He said: "Historically at the weekend our service has been delivered largely by junior doctors in training and now we are changing that."

The practice of junior doctors staffing hospitals at weekends could end

The intention is that within three years all patients admitted as an emergency at the weekend will be seen by a consultant within 14 hours.

Those already in hospital at the weekend will have their condition reviewed by a consultant every 24 hours, while routine surgery will be available at weekends for minor conditions such as hernias.

X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI scans will carry on at the same level as during the week, while heart checks, biopsies and blood tests will also be available seven days a week.

The hospital support network of pharmacies, physiotherapy and occupational therapy will run every day.

Sir Bruce said the NHS lacked compassion by failing patients at the weekend. "People are still kept waiting at the weekend for a diagnosis. We have a system that is not built around the convenience of patients and is not compassionate to patients for part of the week.

"Why should somebody have to take time off work, why should someone else have to take time off work to take them to and from hospital, when, if they were to have their operations on a Saturday, they could spend Sunday recovering and, in many cases, get back to work sooner?"

The inquiry team believe the change will cost about 2% of the NHS's annual operating bill of £97bn, but could be less after potential savings.

Blood tests, heart checks and biopsies would be available seven days a week

Critics suggest the cost could be billions more, but Sir Bruce believes the system of having theatres, consulting rooms and recovery wards lying empty at the weekend could be tackled to cut costs.

The BMA said it supports high quality seven-day patient care.

A spokeswoman said: "Doctors firmly believe that patient outcomes should not be affected by what day of the week they fall ill.

"The BMA is in discussions with the Government on how to develop working patterns which deliver more services across seven days while safeguarding the need for a healthy and productive work-life balance for doctors.

"This is a complicated problem which will not be easily resolved by one single 'quick fix' solution."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Patients should be at the heart of the NHS and be able to depend on it every day - not just Monday to Friday.

"I want the NHS to expand to provide seven-day services so that more patients get the right care, when they need it. It is great news that Sir Bruce Keogh will be setting out his plans for the NHS to provide seven day services."

Labour shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "This idea is right in principle but, with the NHS in increasing financial distress, the Government must set out clearly how it will be paid for."

:: Watch NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh live on Sky News at 11am on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602 and Freeview channel 82.

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