Cliff Richard's Home Searched Over Sex Claim

Sir Cliff Richard's home has been searched in connection with a sex assault allegation involving a boy - which the singer has dismissed as "completely false".

Sky News understands the accusation against Sir Cliff comes from an event held by American evangelist preacher Billy Graham in Sheffield in 1985.

A search warrant was granted after a historical claim of a sexual nature was made involving a boy who was under the age of 16 at the time.

Police vehicles leaving the singer's Berkshire home

Police officers entered the 73-year-old's penthouse apartment on a private art deco estate in the Sunningdale area of Berkshire on Thursday morning after apparently arriving without warning.

A total of eight officers from South Yorkshire and Thames Valley police took part in the five-hour search, starting at about 10.30am. Five unmarked police cars later left the Charters Estate.

No one has been arrested, police said. They stressed the investigation was in its "really early stages". 

Sir Cliff performing at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012

In a statement issued as the search was carried out, Sir Cliff, who is currently abroad, said: "For many months I have been aware of allegations against me of historic impropriety which have been circulating online. The allegations are completely false.

"Up until now I have chosen not to dignify the false allegations with a response, as it would just give them more oxygen.

"However, the police attended my apartment in Berkshire today without notice, except, it would appear, to the press.

"I am not presently in the UK but it goes without saying that I will co-operate fully should the police wish to speak to me.

"Beyond stating that today's allegation is completely false it would not be appropriate to say anything further until the police investigation has concluded."

The star last week at his Portugal concert. Pic: Len Port/Algarve Newswatch

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said Sir Cliff, who was knighted in 1995, was not warned about the search.

"Police say they didn't have to break in," Brunt said. "They were let in by, presumably, somebody who is looking after the house.

"Last week, Sir Cliff was at his home in Portugal where he held a concert at his estate.

"He owns a vast property there with a vineyard. We don't know if he is still there, but he has said in the past that he spends his summers in Portugal and his winters in Barbados, where he owns another property.

"Police have given very few details of the allegation, but I am told it is said to have happened in Sheffield.

"They do suggest that more information will be given if a suspect is arrested.

"One other thing to point out is that this isn't part of Scotland Yard's investigation into historical sex crimes - Operation Yewtree - launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

"Whether the initial allegation was made to the Metropolitan Police and passed on to South Yorkshire, that's a possibility. But this is very much a South Yorkshire Police investigation."

Born Harry Webb in Lucknow, India, in 1940, Sir Cliff has become one of the most enduring stars of his era, with hits including Devil Woman, Living Doll and The Young Ones.

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Arrests Over Disappearance Of Three Brothers

Two people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of three brothers aged as young as 10.

A 34-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were detained at a property in Birmingham, Northumbria Police said.

Remus Matloch, 15, along with his brothers Janko, 12, and David, 10, failed to return to their foster parents' home in Sunderland after going for a bike ride.

The brothers had left at around tea time and were due back at 8pm. They did not answer their mobiles.

Instead, they were seen catching a Metro train to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where they were spotted later in the central station.

Police on Thursday confirmed the arrests, which happened at 11pm the previous day.

The West Midlands and London are the focus of the police search for the boys.

Their Polish-Romany parents are not thought to be in the country and have no contact with their sons or the youngsters' four sisters.

Superintendent Alan Veitch, of Sunderland Area Command, said: "This is a fast-moving inquiry and we are liaising with forces around the country and making active inquiries in both Birmingham and London."

Northumbria Police said the boys have not gone missing before.

Although the boys are from Poland, they speak good English.

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Student Cleared Of Knickers Plot For Jihadists

A 27-year-old woman who tried to smuggle cash in her knickers on a flight to Turkey has been cleared of funding jihadists in Syria.

Nawal Msaad tried to take €20,000 (£15,830) in rolled-up notes on a flight from Heathrow to Istanbul in January, the Old Bailey heard.

She did it for her friend Amal El-Wahabi, 27, whose husband Aine Davis, 30, asked for the money, after leaving Britain to join jihadists in Syria last year.

The plot failed when she was stopped at the departure gate and produced the cash, which had been hidden in a condom, from her underwear.

Ms Msaad, from Holloway, north London, and El-Wahabi, from northwest London, both denied making money available with "reasonable cause to suspect that it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism".

The jury cleared Ms Msaad but convicted mother-of-two El-Wahabi after deliberating for five days.

El-Wahabi will be sentenced on September 12

El-Wahabi is the first Briton to be convicted under terror laws of funding jihadi fighters in Syria.

She wept in the dock as the jury returned its guilty verdict, saying: "I can't breathe, no, I can't breathe."

The pair are London-born of Moroccan descent and had been close friends for years, the court heard.

Ms Msaad, who had been studying human resources at London Metropolitan University, agreed to take the money in return for €1,000 in expenses, jurors were told.

When she was stopped at the departure gate, she said the three-day trip to Istanbul was a "short break" to buy gold for her mother.

Ms Msaad, left, said she never meant to smuggle cash to bankroll terrorism

She was taken into a private room and produced the cash from her underwear.

The smuggling arrangements were made days before in phone calls and WhatsApp messages between El-Wahabi and her husband and Ms Msaad.

The same day Ms Msaad was arrested, police seized mobile phones and computer equipment from El-Wahabi's home.

Davis, who used the Muslim name Hamza, kept in regular contact with El-Wahabi after leaving London to pursue a jihadist cause.

After six months, El-Wahabi, who was living on benefits, was coming round to the idea of joining him wherever he was, the court heard.

The jury was shown a "selfie" Davis sent her, as well as videos containing jihadist propaganda.

El-Wahabi denied knowledge of any terrorist activities or their funding.

When Ms Msaad went into the witness box, she accused El-Wahabi of "stitching" her up by not telling her where the money came from.

She insisted she had never meant to smuggle cash abroad to bankroll terrorism.

Davis, who was born in London with roots in Gambia, met El-Wahabi at a local mosque and became increasingly interested in Islam six or seven years ago, the court heard.

His current whereabouts are unknown. El-Wahabi will be sentenced on September 12.

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Dying Man's £5k Rolex Watch Stolen In A&E

A dying man had his £5,000 Rolex watch stolen while doctors were attempting to rescuscitate him in a hospital A&E department.

David Davies, 68, died shortly afterwards and his devastated family say the theft of the heirloom has compounded their grief.

He was taken by ambulance to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex, during the early hours of August 7 suffering from a serious heart condition.

Police said while Mr Davies, from Birdham, West Sussex, was being treated in the resuscitation area next to the A&E department, his watch was taken.

The area was searched and checks were made with staff on duty, but the watch could not be found.

Mr Davies' son John said: "As a family we are devastated at the loss of David and cannot believe that this has happened during our time of grief.

"We would appeal to anyone who has information about the missing watch to come forward.

"David dearly loved the watch and its loss has added to the stress and grief that the family are already going through."

The Western Sussex Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust extended its sympathy to Mr Davies' family and said it was doing everything it could to help police.

Detective Constable Mark Burgess said: "This is a silver Submariner Rolex, valued at some £5,000, but even more importantly, was treated as a family heirloom having been in the family since 1985.

"If you have any information about the theft, or if you have been offered such a watch locally since last Thursday, we would very much like to hear from you."

:: Anyone with information can call 101, quoting serial 0385 of 7/8, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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Two People Found Dead With Gunshot Wounds

Two people have been found dead with gunshot wounds at a property in Ledbury, Herefordshire.

Police confirmed they were alerted to reports of the shootings at 9.30am on Monday.

The victims have yet to be formally identified by family members. West Mercia Police said they are treating the deaths as unexplained. 

A spokesman said: "We are dealing with an incident in the Ledbury area where two people have been found dead at an address with gunshot wounds.

"They have not been named as formal identification has not yet taken place by the family.

"We are treating the deaths as unexplained, and it is too early to speculate what took place, and police inquiries are continuing along with post-mortems."

The spokesman would not comment on the genders of the pair, or where the bodies were discovered.

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Teachers To Publish Alternative League Tables

Headteachers will publish their own league tables to give parents more information about schools and to address concerns the Government's data serves "political aims rather than pupils' needs".

The rankings, which school leaders say will provide more information than Government league tables, will initially focus on secondary schools.

They will cover GCSE results, extra-curricular activities, the curriculum and other details like class sizes and subjects.

The proposals have been drawn up by two unions: the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).

The independent school and academy group United Learning, and PiXL, which works with schools to raise standards, were also involved in the plan.

Teachers have expressed concerns about the current league tables, including a Government decision last year that only a pupil's first attempt at an exam would be counted towards a school's overall results.

Under the plans, secondary schools in England are being asked to submit their GCSE results for this summer.

The results, which are due to be released next week, will then be published on a new website later in the autumn, before the Department for Education publishes its data in January.

NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said the Government's data often failed to address pupils' needs.

"Schools must be accountable, but the Government's performance tables have become a sledgehammer to crack the system - too often serving political aims rather than pupils' needs and driving the wrong decisions," he said.

"This initiative will, over time, give parents stable, accurate and neutral information about schools.

"It is good to see the school leaders seizing the initiative and building a connection to parents that bypasses all the politics."

Jon Coles, chief executive of United Learning, said that over time a school's performance has become less about giving parents information, and instead become a way for successive governments to influence decisions headteachers make about running schools.

"This is too crude an approach to defining a great school or encouraging improvement and at different times, it has been detrimental in different ways," he said.

"For example, promoting too much focus on the C/D borderline, especially in English and maths, or promoting choices of qualification which do not serve individual children well.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "We agree that information about school performance should be freely available to parents.

"That's why we have taken steps to make our league tables clearer and, in addition to our data, all schools must publish extensive information on their website - including pupil progress."

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Mum Saves Child As Buggy Sucked On To Tracks

A mother and her small child had a narrow escape after the youngster's buggy was blown on to Tube tracks just seconds before a train arrived.

The woman was seen on CCTV video putting her life at risk by running on to the line to pick up the pushchair and get the child back to safety.

Police are trying to trace the woman and man

Police said the "frightening incident" could have been deadly and are trying to trace her along with a man who had left the buggy at the bottom of the stairs between two platforms just beforehand.

The man left the pushchair between two platforms

He had gone to help other family members just as wind from the tunnel caught hold of the pushchair after a train left one of the platforms at London's Goodge Street station.

Officers want to make sure the youngster was not hurt in the fall which happened just before 7.30pm on Wednesday, July 23. Images of the near-miss have just been released as part of their public appeal.

It was blown onto the tracks by wind from a tunnel

Chief Inspector Mark Lawrie said: "This was a frightening incident, not just for the scale of the danger the child was exposed to, but also because the woman then put her own life on the line by going on to the tracks."

The moment it tipped onto the line

He added: "This incident shows just how much respect rail passengers should have for the network."

The woman was seen running towards the tracks

Anyone with information can call police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The log TSUB/B12 of 11/8/14 should be quoted in calls.

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Boy, 4, Killed In West Yorkshire House Fire

A four-year-old boy has died after he and a 10-year-old child were rescued from a blaze at a house in West Yorkshire.

Emergency services were called to the property after smoke was seen rising from a rear bedroom at the home in Keighley, near Bradford, around 2pm.

Both children were rescued from the property and taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.

The 10-year-old boy is now recovering from his injuries, which are not life threatening. The four-year-old died in hospital.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which was confined to the bedroom.

Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson said: "Initial inquiries are under way with colleagues in the fire service to determine the cause of this fire and are at a very early stage.

"Clearly this has been a tragic incident in which a young child has lost his life and a full investigation will be carried out."

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Wine Should Carry Health Warning Say MPs

Wine, beer and spirits should carry health warnings to combat alcohol abuse, politicians have said.

Warnings already feature on tobacco and food products - but consumer information on alcohol extends only to volume strength.

The All Parliamentary Party Group on Alcohol Misuse wants labels on products such as wine to explain the harmful effects of drinking.

The recommendation is one of 10 aimed at reducing the harm of alcohol in the UK.

The document states: "Health warnings are a familiar and prominent feature on all tobacco products.

Tobacco products have carried health warnings since 1971

"Likewise, detailed nutritional labelling is ubiquitous on food products and soft drinks.

"Yet consumer information on alcohol products usually extends no further than the volume strength and unit content.

"In order to inform consumers about balanced risk, every alcohol label should include an evidence-based health warning as well as describing the product's nutritional calorific and alcohol content."

The group also wants a mandatory minimum price per unit for alcohol, tougher regulations on advertising and a reduction of the drink-drive limit.

The group also wants a minimum price per unit of alcohol

A phased ban on the sponsorship of sport by alcohol firms should also be introduced, while GPs and other health workers should ask people about their drinking habits.

Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse, said: "The facts and figures of the scale of alcohol misuse in the UK speak for themselves: 1.2 million people a year are admitted to hospital due to alcohol; liver disease in those under 30 has more than doubled over the past 20 years; and the cost of alcohol to the economy totals £21bn.

"Getting political parties to seriously commit to these 10 measures will be a massive step in tackling the huge public health issue that alcohol is."

After smoking, alcohol is the second biggest preventable killer, the group has said.

A Government spokeswoman said: "We are taking action to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and to give people better information about the impact drinking can have on your health.

"Through our Responsibility Deal, the drinks industry has committed to putting unit and health messages on 80% of all bottles and cans.

"And we have banned alcohol sales below the level of duty plus VAT to tackle the worst cases of very cheap and harmful alcohol."

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'Pay Before You Die' Inheritance Tax Plan

People suspected of trying to avoid inheritance tax could have to pay before they die under proposals being considered by ministers.

HM Revenue & Customs could demand "accelerated payment" where savers are using potentially illegal avoidance schemes.

The measures - at the consultation stage - are a response to concern that growing numbers of people are using trusts to shield their estates from inheritance tax.

But Stuart Phillips, of tax planning firm the Private Office, said the policy could have "unintended consequences".

HMRC says the proposals will only affect a small minority of wealthy people

"The concern is that the Revenue takes a highly aggressive stance, just like with the film schemes for which celebrities have been under scrutiny, and terrifies families who have been engaging in legitimate tax planning that has been used for many years," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"I'm apprehensive that large-scale action could have unintended consequences."

Inheritance tax is levied at 40% on the value of an estate above the £325,000 threshold. Married couples can combine their allowances.

The Tories pledged to raise the threshold from £325,000 to £1m at the last election, but the policy was blocked by the Liberal Democrats.

A HMRC spokesman said: "We are seeking views on tackling inheritance tax avoidance schemes. This is an ongoing consultation and no final decisions have yet been taken.

"The proposals in the consultation paper will only affect a small minority of wealthy individuals who actively seek to avoid inheritance tax.

"Couples would still be able to leave up to £650,000 tax free to benefit their children or grandchildren."

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Senior UKIP Politician In 'Copy Hitler' Row

A senior UKIP politician has defended reports he urged young party members to "copy Hitler".

The Mail On Sunday acquired a recording of West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge telling prospective candidates to "pick up little moments" of Hilter's speaking style.

Mr Etheridge can be heard saying the Nazi leader was "a hateful figure who achieved a great deal".

The Mail carried its story under the headline: "UKIP urges its youth wing: copy Hitler."

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Etheridge called the article a "silly, unpleasant attack".

"Hitler was an evil, monstrous tyrant but that doesn't mean he wasn't good at public speaking," said the 44-year-old.

The Mail On Sunday front page

"I wish he hadn't been, but we must be able to discuss historical figures without being slurred as agreeing with them.

"I speak about Tony Blair, Dr Martin Luther King and President Ronald Reagan - all kinds of people who were great public speakers.

"I regret that the Mail should stoop so low - it's embarrassing for all of us."

The recording - which Sky News has verified - was made last week at a conference for UKIP's youth wing, Young Independents.

Mr Etheridge, who is also a Dudley councillor, is heard saying: "If you look back to the most magnetic and forceful public speaker possibly in history.

"When Hitler gave speeches, and many of the more famous ones were at rallies, at the start he walks, back and forth, looked at people - there was a silence, he waited minutes just looking out at people, fixing them with his gaze.

"And they were looking back and he would do it for a while. And then they were so desperate for him to start that when he started speaking they were hanging on his every word.

Bill Etheridge urged candidates to "pick up moments" from Hitler speeches

"Again, I'm not saying direct copy - pick up little moments."

Labour MP Mike Gapes told the Mail On Sunday: "I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, but this just goes to show that (Nigel) Farage has completely failed to clean up his party.

"One of his MEPs training young candidates to speak like Hitler? Simply unbelievable."

But UKIP said The Mail On Sunday's interpretation of the speech was "truly disgusting".

A spokesman added: "Bill Etheridge gave a seminar on public speaking and highlighted great speakers of the past, like Churchill, Blair, Martin Luther King and Hitler as people whose style, not content could be studied.

"It is no surprise that two national newspapers have covered this conference - The Guardian and The Mail on Sunday. One gave it a fair hearing, the other as a Tory paper is terrified by the rise of UKIP and apparently will stoop to nothing to attack the party. We are disappointed, but unsurprised.

"During a period of respectful and pensive commemoration of those who gave their lives in war, the Tory Mail on Sunday's tasteless and desperate front page attack is truly disgusting."

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Weather Warnings As Bertha Hits Britain

The remnants of Hurricane Bertha are expected to bring flash floods and high winds to Britain on Sunday morning.

The Red Cross has put hundreds of volunteers on standby in response to concerns that homes in some areas will need to be evacuated.

The deluge landed at Cornwall in the early hours and is expected to sweep across the rest of Britain through the morning.

Alister McHardy, from the Met Office, said up to two inches of rain could fall overnight.

"Anywhere in England and Wales could get two inches - even the far south east of England could get a good dollop of rain," he said.

The Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning for much of the UK

"We are going to see coastal gales in the south coast of England of around 50-60mph. Even inland there is a risk of gales in places.

"Britons should brace themselves and be aware that the rainfall could bring some flooding in places.

"It is a quick dose of autumn in the summer."

Hurricane Bertha has already torn through the Caribbean, with 90mph winds leaving thousands of homes without power.

The A14 in Cambridgeshire was flooded on Friday

Its aftermath is not as potent - but the Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings telling people to "be aware" of rainfall for England, Wales and Scotland.

It follows flash flooding across eastern England on Friday.

More than 1,400 homes were without power after the heavy downpours.

Further bad weather is expected at the start of next week.

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