Michael Wheatley In Court Over Armed Robbery

Michael Wheatley, who was arrested after going missing from an open prison, has appeared in court after being charged with carrying out an armed robbery.

The 55-year-old from Kent spoke only to confirm his name when he appeared at East Surrey Magistrates' Court in Redhill.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Guildford Crown Court on May 29.

Wheatley, unshaven and wearing a grey T-shirt, remained handcuffed throughout the five-minute hearing.

He is accused of carrying out an £18,350 robbery at the Chelsea Building Society in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey on Wednesday while on the run from HMP Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

He is also charged with possession of an imitation firearm and with being unlawfully at large.

Wheatley was detained on a street corner in Tower Hamlets in east London hours after it is alleged he robbed the building society.

A second man, Kevin Perry, 53, from east London, has been charged with assisting an offender, perverting the course of justice and handling stolen goods.

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How Hot Does David Cameron Like His Nando's?

Europe and big business takeovers may be the pressing issues of the day but David Cameron was confronted with another crunch decision on a trip to Nando's - how hot would he go?

In what may have been a bid to show the Prime Minister following the coalition mantra of "we are all in this together", Mr Cameron made a visit to the Bristol branch of the popular restaurant chain famous for its spicy peri-peri chicken.

He is reported to have opted for the hot, which according to Nando's "peri-ometer" is "eye-wateringly fiery" and "for serious chilli fiends only."

Diner Becky Smith took this selfie with the PM. Pic: Becky Smith/Twitter

Mr Cameron, wearing an open-collared black shirt with his sleeves rolled up, may have been looking to put some fire in his belly as he hit the election campaign trail.

His unexpected visit shocked diners who took snaps of the PM and posted them on social media.

Among the surprised customers was Becky Smith, who Mr Cameron stopped to pose for a selfie with.

Along with the picture, she tweeted: "Snapapolitician lol".

Another Twitter user, Melissa Bennett, posted a picture of Mr Cameron looking across the restaurant as other diners took photos.

She tweeted: "Oh my days, in Nandos and David Cameron walks in."

Her friend Hollie Buckle also tweeted a picture and added: "I knew there was a reason I dragged Melissa Bennett to Nandos. David Cameron only went and turned up!!!"

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PM Defends Powers To Seize Unpaid Tax

Failing to collect unpaid tax would mean rates having to be hiked, David Cameron has told Sky News as he backed plans for cash to be seized directly from bank accounts.

The Prime Minister said non-payment of tax was "unacceptable", and insisted the move would have safeguards.

He was speaking after the Treasury Committee said it has "considerable concern" about the idea, which it warns could result in innocent people having cash taken from them.

HMRC estimates 17,000 people a year will be affected, and says money will only be taken after four demands for payment have been ignored.

The cross-party group wants further scrutiny of Chancellor George Osborne's debt collection proposals before they are implemented, describing a "lengthy and full consultation" as "essential".

Compensation and disciplinary action are suggested by the committee as extra safeguards.

George Osborne announced the plans in this year's Budget

In their report on this year's Budget, the MPs say the change could be akin to the reintroduction of the discredited Crown Preference Rule by stealth.

This gave HMRC priority access to assets when companies went out of business.

The chance of fraud and errors occurring is also highlighted, with the MPs warning this would be a "serious detriment" to taxpayers.

The report says: "This policy is highly dependent on HMRC's ability accurately to determine which taxpayers owe money and what amounts they owe, an ability not always demonstrated in the past."

But Mr Cameron told Sky's Political Editor Adam Boulton: "I think we have a choice here. If we don't collect taxes properly and make sure pople pay their taxes properly, we look at the problems of having to raise tax rates. I don't want to do that."

"So I support the changes the Chancellor set out in the Budget, which is to really say that not paying your taxes is not acceptable."

He argued the move would be governed by "rules and regulations", and added: "The general principle, do we want to pursue every avenue of making people pay their taxes that they are meant to pay before we put up taxes - because that's the alternative - absolutely yes we do."

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Stuart Hall Trial: Alleged Victim Taken Ill

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

An alleged rape victim under cross-examination in the trial of former broadcaster Stuart Hall has asked to leave court, saying she felt physically sick.

The woman held on to wooden panelling at Preston Crown Court as she left the building.

Earlier, she told the trial that she had kept quiet about being raped by the broadcaster partly for the sake of his wife, Hazel, and because he was a close family friend.

The woman claims she was raped and indecently assaulted over a period of three or four years from the age of twelve. 

Speaking from the witness box, she said: "When your life changes in a blink at such a young age there are certain things you decide to do as a human being and I made the choice. That is what I did for 36 years. I chose not to reveal it."

Under cross-examination, the woman insisted that she had given no thought to financial compensation and, in a terse exchange with Hall's barrister Crispin Aylett QC, said: "I find it very insulting at this time to be asked this question ... I have not thought about compensation and I can't give you any other answer. I find it very, very hurtful."

The judge, Mr Justice Turner, intervened, telling Mr Aylett: "You have your answer. You may not like it but you have an answer."

The woman, who is now in her forties, alleges that Hall first raped her against a wall "like a rag doll" when her parents were away for the weekend and she was cleaning out stables.

She claims she was repeatedly raped at other locations, including his dressing room at BBC studios in Manchester.

She told Preston Crown Court that she became compliant, saying: "I was a child, so young when this happened.

"I have had to cope with it ... it never leaves you. It's very difficult to spend time in his company but I have had to do it all my life ... I chose not to tell anybody. I didn't do anything. Because I didn't do anything, I had to carry on as normal."

She said she had never stopped thinking about Stuart Hall's wife and his family.

The veteran television presenter has admitted one charge of indecently assaulting the woman but denies 20 other charges of rape and indecent assault relating to her and another woman.

He is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a string of indecent assaults in a separate case last year.

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Rolf Harris Letter: I Am Sickened By Myself

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Rolf Harris abused one of his daughter's friends on a motorway, in a theatre and in her family home while her parents were in another room, a court has heard.

The prosecution called the 84-year-old a "Jekyll And Hyde" character who thought he was "untouchable" because of his fame.

Harris listened via a hearing loop in the glass-fronted dock as the case against him was outlined by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC at Southwark Crown Court.

Ms Wass said: ''Mr Harris touched children and women alike in quite brazen circumstances. That may have been part of the excitement for him, knowing that he could get away with it.''

She added that once he was spotted inappropriately touching one of his victims.

"He just laughed and denied it," said Ms Wass. "Even when caught red-handed, he knew he was untouchable.''

The court heard that one victim, who is the subject of seven of the 12 counts, was on a holiday when Harris began abusing her in 1978 aged just 13.

Ms Wass said the victim had been ''in awe" of the defendant and went on to be "groomed like a pet" during 15 years of abuse.

Harris walks hand-in-hand with daughter Bindi (left) and wife Alwen

Further incidents allegedly took place in a swimming pool, at a theatre and on the M4.

On one occasion Harris is accused of assaulting the victim at her home while her parents were in another room.

''He never had a meaningful conversation with her," Ms Wass added. "She was just his little toy."

The girl was said to have turned to alcohol at the age of 14 as a result of what she claims happened - and is now a "full blown alcoholic".

She eventually told her family about the alleged abuse in 1997.

The court heard how Harris then wrote to her father admitting a sexual relationship but claiming there was no "rape, physical force or brutality". He added that he was in a "state of object (sic) self-loathing".

The prosecution likened this to Bill Clinton admitting he had smoked cannabis but claiming he did not inhale.

The alleged victim eventually wrote a letter to police in 2012, 18 years after the abuse ended. The court heard how the Jimmy Savile revelations caused her to reflect on her own circumstances.

The case has attracted intense media interest both in the UK and Australia

Miss Wass described Harris as having a "side to him" which meant he was sexually attracted to young girls.

"The prosecution doesn't for a moment suggest there is not a good, talented and kind side to Mr Harris," she said.

"But concealed behind this charming and amicable children's entertainer lay a man who exploited the very children who were drawn to him.

"His fame and reputation meant no one suspected or challenged his behaviour."

None of the alleged victims - who were aged between seven or eight and 19 - knew each other.

The court heard about one 'victim' who was 11 or 12 in 1969 when the indecent assault allegedly took place in Australia.

The woman claims Harris said "Come here, I want to be the first one to give you a tongue kiss" before grabbing her and sticking his tongue in her mouth.

Another woman who came forward was eight when, she claims, Harris touched her inappropriately after she asked him for an autograph in a community centre packed with children.

Harris denies all 12 charges against him. The trial continues.

More follows...

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Stuart Hall 'Raped 12-Year-Old Against Wall'

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

A woman broke down in the witness box as she recalled being allegedly raped by former broadcaster Stuart Hall when she was 12 years old.

Now in her forties, she told Preston Crown Court she had been cleaning out stables when Hall, who was a family friend, arrived on a motorbike and raped her against a wall.

The woman's friends in the public gallery also cried as she told the jury: "I was extremely frightened and very shocked, almost to the point of immobility. 

"I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. I was just like a rag doll."

She wept again as she told the jury that Hall raped her a second time after a dinner party at her parents' house. 

She said: "I didn't want my father to be ashamed of me. I felt incredibly dirty, ashamed, confused and very frightened. 

"I chose to bury it because I didn't want anyone to be disappointed in me."

Another of Hall's alleged rape victims told the court she had not made allegations in an effort to get compensation.

Asked under cross-examination if she was after money, the woman told the court: "If I was purely after compensation do you really, honestly believe I would have put myself through this?"

It was revealed that last year her solicitor had approached Stuart Hall's lawyer seeking £20,000 compensation.

She told Hall's defence barrister, Crispin Allyett QC: "You are making me sound like a gold-digger but there are easier ways to make money."

The woman, now in her fifties, says she was around 14 when the presenter began raping and indecently assaulting her after plying her with alcohol.

She told the court the defendant would mix her drinks and that she would become "disgustingly drunk".

Asked why she had waited until last year to come forward, she said she had been angered by the fact that Stuart Hall had been sentenced to only 15 months imprisonment after pleading guilty in a separate sex abuse case. 

The sentence was later doubled by the Court of Appeal.

The woman said that Hall had "ruled the roost" and that she had no choice but to go along with his sexual demands.

Hall denies 15 charges of rape and five out of six indecent assault charges. 

The allegations relate to two women and are said to have happened over a five-year period from 1976 when the celebrity was in his forties.

Hall became famous for presenting the BBC television programme It's A Knockout from 1972.

The trial continues.

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Russell Brand Wins Damages Over Cheat Story

Russell Brand has accepted substantial libel damages over a newspaper's claim he had cheated on girlfriend Jemima Khan.

News Group Newspapers (NGN) agreed to pay a large but undisclosed sum to the comedian at London's High Court.

The "exclusive" story, headlined Russell Cheated On His Jemima With Me, was published in the Sun On Sunday in November 2013.

It claimed Brand had had a four-month fling with model Sophie Coady.

Brand's solicitor, John Kelly, told Mr Justice Tugendhat the allegation was entirely without foundation and "distressing, hurtful and damaging".

The court heard Brand had written to the Sun On Sunday through his solicitors informing it the story was false.

But the paper refused to take the article off its website, or withdraw the allegations and publish an apology.

It now accepted the claims were "totally untrue and defamatory and... should never have been published."

As well as apologising, NGN had agreed to pay Brand his legal costs and damages, which he would put towards "what he considers to be diverse, just and decent causes.

Brand was not in court for the settlement of his action.

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Ann Maguire Stabbing: Twitter Troll Jailed

By Harriet Hadfield, Sky Reporter, Swansea

A man who admitted posting offensive messages on Twitter about stabbed teacher Ann Maguire has been jailed for eight weeks.

Robert Riley, 42, was sentenced at Swansea Magistrates' Court over the remarks he made on the microblogging site.

Among his tweets was one that named the boy who has been charged with Mrs Maguire's murder.

The messages also celebrated the killing and expressed general hatred against teachers as a whole.

Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death at Corpus Christi School in Leeds last week.

The court heard Riley had just over 500 followers on Twitter and a habit of sending vile and offensive tweets.

Many were racist comments directed at various ethnic communities and others were of a religious content showing hatred towards Jews and Muslims.

As the exact contents of his posts were read out to the court, Riley sat with his head in his hands and became emotional.

His defence team said he led an "isolated life" and had "deep regret for the anguish inflicted on Mrs Maguire's family".

A picture of Riley on his Twitter feed

After pleading guilty to one charge of sending a grossly offensive message via a public communications network, unemployed Riley, from Port Talbot, begged for leniency.

However, chairwoman of the bench Georgina Scannell voiced her disgust and said she was left with no choice but to send the defendant to jail.

She said: "The offensive messages outraged the public. You had complete disregard for the tragic death of Ann Maguire.

"Besides this, countless other vile messages were made by you.

"The bench finds these were racially and religious aggravated. The offences are so serious that only a period of immediate custody can be justified."

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Madeleine McCann Search: Three Main Dig Sites

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Premier League To Be 'Half English' By 2022

By Paul Kelso, Sports News Correspondent

At least 45% of Premier League players will be English by 2022 under a new target set for the game by FA chairman Greg Dyke.

Mr Dyke said he wants to see at least 90 English players starting for Premier League teams, up from the current average of 66.

Of these, Mr Dyke said he wanted 30 to be playing more than half of the games for top-six clubs, an increase on the current 18.

Mr Dyke said the target can be achieved by implementing a number of "radical and ambitious plans" set out in the report of the FA Commission examining the declining numbers of English players, and recommending measures to reverse the trend.

The key recommendations include:

:: Premier League B Teams entering a new Third Division of the Football League, with promotion no higher than League One.

:: Strategic loan partnerships between Premier League and Football League clubs. Each Premier League team could enter arrangements with two clubs, and loan them up to eight players each.

:: An increase in the number of homegrown players required in 25-man Premier League squads, up from eight to 13 by 2020.

:: Tighter work-permit restrictions for non-EU players so only "truly exceptional players of the highest calibre" get work permits.

Mr Dyke announced the proposals at Wembley

In addition, only two could play for each Premier League club, a move that would drastically affects clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Commission proposals are already controversial with some opposition from the professional leagues, but Mr Dyke said they were crucial to arrest the decline in English players impacting on the national team.

He said: "The decline is a problem in countries right across Europe but a significantly bigger problem in England than anywhere else, and if the trend continues we fear for the future of the English team.

"If this cannot be reversed a future England manager will have fewer and fewer top level English players to choose from."

"This is a radical and ambitious plan to give English boys the best chance of achieving their potential," said Mr Dyke.

"The tanker that is English football needs turning.

"It is in the public interest for there to be a successful England team, and it is our belief that the benefits of national team success would be felt across the whole game."

England boss Roy Hodgson welcomed the commission findings

The commission findings were welcomed by England manager Roy Hodgson.

He said: "We are much wiser now than when this process began, and now have a strong body of work that will stop us wondering how we compare to other countries.

"My undoubted focus has been on qualifying and preparing my England squad for the World Cup in Brazil. But we all have a responsibility when called to answer the question, how can we provide a better platform for the young England players of the future."

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Single Punch Killer's Sentence 'Not Lenient'

The four-year sentence given to a man who killed an Asperger's sufferer in an unprovoked attack was not "unduly lenient", appeal court judges have ruled.

Andrew Young, 40, died after being punched once in the head by Lewis Gill in Dorset on November 6 last year.

Gill, now 21, was jailed in February at Salisbury Crown Court but the sentence was referred to the court of appeal by Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who argued it did not reflect the gravity of his actions.

However, three judges ruled there should not be any change to the sentence.

Lord Justice Treacy said: "We have concluded the sentence imposed is not one which can be described as unduly lenient.

Lewis Gill was jailed for four years

"Indeed, it seems to us the sentence imposed was one within the reasonable range available to the trial judge, properly weighing the relevant factors and the guidance of this court."

The graphic design student, who previously trained as a boxer, was also sentenced to a further three months for handling stolen goods and another three months for committing an offence while serving a suspended sentence.

Those sentences were not considered at the hearing.

CCTV footage showed Mr Young challenging a cyclist who was riding his bike on pavement.

After a discussion between the two, Gill, who knew the cyclist, approached both men.

When the cyclist rode off, Gill turned to follow him before lunging towards Mr Young and punching him in the head.

Mr Young then fell backwards, hitting his head on the ground.

He suffered a fractured skull and later died in Southampton Hospital.

The attack took place outside a Tesco Metro store in Charminster Road, Bournemouth.

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Madeleine McCann: 'UK Police Searches Refused'

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Former Co-op Boss Flowers Fined Over Drugs

Co-op Reform Critics Must Back Overhaul: Myners

Updated: 2:03pm UK, Wednesday 07 May 2014

Former City minister Lord Myners has warned the Co-operative Group will not survive unless members get behind his recommendations for reforming its governance structure.

His review's findings - which include the abolition of the group's 21-member board to be replaced by a slimmed-down body containing more expert, corporate figures - will be put before the Co-op's AGM in Manchester on May 17.

The damning 184-page report seeks to win over traditionalists "stuck in denial" over the need for change after regional membership boards and independent societies voiced opposition to his interim proposals in March.

Lord Myners later quit as a Co-op director after just four months.

The review followed a tide of pain for the Group, which recently revealed an annual loss of £2.5bn - the bulk of that put down to the continuing problems at the Co-op Bank, now in the clutches of US hedge funds after its rescue from near collapse.

In an interview with Sky News, Lord Myners argued the bank crisis epitomised the scale of the incompetence he had witnessed.

He said: "How the board of the Co-op two years ago thought it could acquire the branch businesses of Lloyds TSB is beyond imagination.

"I cannot imagine a group of people less equipped, less competent, to own and control a bank.

"It took me half an hour of sitting in my first board meeting of the Co-op to realise what a shambles the board was."

He spoke out against the culture of the Group as the bank's former chairman, Paul Flowers, was being fined after admitting drug possession.

The peer slammed the fact that the 15 lay directors on the current board were drawn from a total eligible pool of only 35 regional board members including an engineer, a plasterer and a retired deputy head teacher.

He said that apart from the lack of relevant skills and experience "this has not even been genuine democracy at work" - telling Sky's Dharshini David that every member of the board should go bar one member from the North West.

Ursula Lidbetter, Chair of The Co-operative Group, responded: "The Co-operative Group welcomes the report from Lord Myners and we are grateful to him and his team for producing such a detailed and comprehensive review so rapidly.

"The Board of the Group has made clear its commitment to far-reaching and fundamental reform of our governance.

"A resolution containing four key principles on reform is being put to members at a General Meeting in May and we will build from there to ensure we put the right changes in place".

Lord Myners spoke of his hopes that the membership adopted change at the AGM.

He said: "I have no doubt that the Co-operative Group can over the next five years reverse a decline that started over 50 years ago. But I am less confident that it will choose to do so.

"Much will depend on the small number of 'elected democrats', less than one in 10,000 of the group's entire membership.

"Will they put their self-interest to one side for the greater good, acknowledging the collective failure of the current board and the crippling deficiencies of the entire governance system?

"I would say that the Group board and many on the regional boards are still stuck in denial over this near ruinous failure of governance, whereas the vast majority of ordinary members feel justified anger."

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Stuart Hall 'Poured Champagne On Plaything'

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Former broadcaster and convicted paedophile Stuart Hall exploited young girls and preyed on their vulnerability, a court has heard.

He is alleged to have raped his victims at BBC studios in Manchester and on one occasion to have poured champagne on to a young girl's naked body, treating her "as his plaything".

He is said to have sought her silence using a combination of emotional blackmail and manipulation.

The ex-BBC sports commentator is appearing at Preston Crown Court accused of raping and indecently assaulting two girls - one of them when she was under the age of 13.

Hall, 84, who presented TV show It's A Knockout in the 1970s, is said to have plied the girls with drink before taking advantage of them.

Prosecuting barrister Peter Wright QC told the jury: "You will hear of how he preyed upon their vulnerability and the trust reposed in him by them and also by their parents.

"It happened because each of them was, at the time, emotionally and physically extremely vulnerable by reason of their situation and age.

"These were young, impressionable teenagers being groomed by a sexual predator into satisfying his sexual requirements."

The jury heard one girl was raped when she was 14 after being invited by Hall to the BBC studios.

Mr Wright said the broadcaster, then aged 47, gave the girl cigarettes and plied her with alcohol. 

He told jurors: "This was not a mutually consensual act of intercourse between two people on an equal footing.

"This was a grown man exerting his influence and control over an impressionable and vulnerable young girl, intoxicated by his status and also by drink."

The alleged victim is said to have kept the abuse quiet until last year when she told her husband.

The court was told she went to the police only after her husband tried to blackmail her for money with the threat of telling her family.

Hall denies 15 charges of rape and five of indecent assault but has pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent assault.

The defendant was close to both the girls and their families.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1976 and 1981 but were only reported to police last year.

The court has heard the veteran broadcaster is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence following a separate case last year in which he admitted indecently assaulting 13 female victims.

Mr Wright argued Hall's previous offences demonstrate a pattern of behaviour in which Hall was "opportunistic and acted in a sexually predatory manner and was prepared to take considerable risk".

One of the alleged victims, now in her fifties, said she had gone along with the sex because she was drunk and felt flattered.

But she told the court:  "I don't think I was thinking straight at all.  I don't think I was thinking of anything other than I wanted to go home to be sick."

Hall's barrister Crispin Aylett QC argued that whatever his shortcomings his client was not a rapist.

He told the court:  "To people of a certain age, Stuart Hall will be known as the presenter of It's A Knockout, a good-natured TV programme in which members of the public cheerfully made fools of themselves on camera.

"To a younger generation of sports fans, you will know him as a rather flamboyant and eccentric football commentator.

"But to everyone now, Stuart Hall is simply a convicted paedophile who at the end of each court day goes back to his prison cell."

The trial continues.

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Skull Cracker: Police Catch Michael Wheatley

The hunt for escaped prisoner Michael Wheatley has ended after police captured the convicted armed robber.

The 55-year-old, who earned his nickname for pistol-whipping victims, was being sought following his failure to return to HMP Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, after being temporarily released.

But a statement issued by Kent Police said the force had, in partnership with officers from the Metropolitan Police, arrested two men in East London on suspicion of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

The statement said two men, aged 55 and 53, were arrested in the Tower Hamlets area and are now in police custody. It added that the 55-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of being unlawfully at large.

Detective Chief Inspector Ann Lisseman said: "We are no longer looking for Michael Wheatley. We would like to thank our colleagues at Metropolitan Police Service, Surrey Police, and the public for their assistance with our enquiries."

The scene of the building society armed robbery

It comes after an armed robbery on Chelsea Building Society, in Sunbury-on-Thames, on Wednesday morning.

Wheatley was first jailed in the 1980s for nine years for a post office raid, but escaped in 1988 when he was given permission to go to hospital and did not return.

He then carried out nine armed robberies and was jailed again in 1989.

Three years later, authorities released him to go to the optician and again he went on the run, carrying out eight robberies -  for which he was jailed for seven years.

He was released on parole in 2001, and within weeks was staging a series of raids on banks.

Prosecutors said he returned to a life of crime after a relationship with a woman he met while in custody ran into trouble, and she spent his money and ran up debts.

During his trial at the Old Bailey it emerged that, when asked his occupation by a custody officer, he had replied: "Armed robber."

He was ordered to serve 13 life sentences in 2002, with a minimum term of eight years.

There had been a confirmed sighting of Wheatley on Monday in Twickenham, and several homes were searched but he was not found.

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Stuart Hall Admits One Indecent Assault Charge

Broadcaster Stuart Hall has admitted one count of indecent assault on a girl aged under 16.

The 84-year-old, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied 20 other charges at Preston Crown Court.

He replied "guilty" when asked how he pleaded to the one allegation of indecent assault, which took place between January 26, 1978 and January 1, 1979.

His trial is due to begin on the charges he has pleaded innocent to.

The former It's A Knockout presenter faces 15 counts of rape and five counts of indecent assault over alleged offences that are said to have taken place between 1976 and 1981.

The trial, which will get under way once legal discussions have concluded, is estimated to last seven days.

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Madeleine McCann: Police To Dig For Evidence

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Escaped 'Skull Cracker' Armed Robber Sighting

A reported sighting of an escaped armed robber known as the "Skull Cracker" has been made in London, police have said.

Officers were called to an address in Twickenham shortly before 8pm on Monday, following a sighting of Michael Wheatley, who earned his nickname for pistol-whipping victims.

Police searched the area but did not find the 55-year-old, who is the subject of a major manhunt.

Wheatley, who was given 13 life sentences in 2002 for a string of brutal raids on banks and building societies, failed to return to HMP Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, after being temporarily released.

A full review has been ordered into prison security after the criminal went on the run.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling told Sky News he was unhappy with the system for releasing prisoners on temporary licence, and changes were being made, including tighter risk assessments, and tagging of prisoners.

He said: "I am carrying out a full inquiry into the circumstances of the case.

"Every situation like this is unacceptable."

Mr Grayling added: "All efforts will be put in to try and get him back. He will now be in prison for some considerable amount of time.

"And of course I am now changing the system so that people like him will be under much tighter controls in future."

Conservative backbencher Philip Davies said whoever allowed Wheatley out of prison is "a berk" and should be sacked.

Kent Police have urged the public not to approach Wheatley, but to dial 999.

Wheatley carried out 13 raids between June 2001 and April 2002 in bank branches from Southampton in Hampshire to Royston in Hertfordshire.

A police spokesman said Wheatley, originally of Limehouse in east London, has links across southeast England.

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'Teacher Murder Plot' Schoolgirls Expelled

Two teenage girls arrested over an alleged attempt to murder a teacher at a school have been permanently excluded.

The pair, aged 14 and 15, are out on police bail after being questioned last week over concerns about their behaviour at the Cwmcarn High School near Newport in South Wales.

Caerphilly Council told Sky News both teenagers had been permanently excluded.

Officials say there was no risk to staff or students.

Detectives previously said the matter had come to light after a member of staff at the school informed them of the alleged plot.

The 15-year-old was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill, possession of a "bladed article" on school premises and conspiracy to commit murder.

It is thought a kitchen knife had been found in the girl's school bag.

The 14-year-old was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

A letter to parents from Gary Thomas, chairman of the school's governing body, said: "There are clear measures, policies and protocols in place to ensure that everyone is safe and everyone knows how to report any concerns.

"I am very proud of the school and particularly the way in which the pupils are educated to be responsible and report any concerns immediately; we are educating our pupils to be responsible citizens.

"There is mutual trust and respect between the learners ensuring that everyone is safe and happy in our successful school."

Cwmcarn High School headteacher Jacqui Peplinski previously said the "concerns were dealt with swiftly" and stressed police had only been contacted as a "precautionary measure".

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UKIP Now Party Of Protest, Says Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg argues that the Liberal Democrats have become a serious party of government with UKIP replacing them as the nation's protest vote.

The Deputy Prime Minister, launching his party's local election campaign, said they could now say to voters "don't support us simply to stick two fingers to the others".

He said UKIP revelled in its status as "Britain's protest party", and accused it of "scaring everybody witless" and "indulging in dangerous fantasies".

Mr Clegg insisted the Lib Dems are the only party that can fix Labour's mess, rein in the Tories and stand up to Nigel Farage's party.

Harriet Harman claims the Lib Dems are "a party of broken promises"

But he is facing an uphill task with a poll at the weekend for the European elections putting UKIP on 29%, Labour on 26%, the Conservatives on 23% and Lib Dems on 10%.

With voters going to the polls for the English council and European Parliament elections on May 22, Mr Clegg sought to brace his supporters for losses.

He said: "The local elections are different for us now, the Euros too.

"Bluntly, we are not the protest vote any more. We are not the 'none of the above' party any more. We're not the 'we don't like the world, let's get off' party any more.

"UKIP is now the protest party in British politics, scaring everybody witless, indulging in dangerous fantasies, claiming somehow miraculously every problem on the face of our planet would be lifted from our shoulders if only we just left the European Union.

"Everything I have done as leader has been about taking us on to the next stage: making the Liberal Democrats a serious party of government - national and local, too."

Mr Clegg went on: "We're not asking you to vote for us to just stick two fingers up against the other two parties. We're asking you to vote for something.

"We are the only party in these elections that have the courage to stand up to UKIP, the only party relied upon to rein in the Conservatives, the only party to undo the damage done by Labour to our economy."

But Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman said: "The Lib Dems are a party of broken promises. Nick Clegg says they're different from the Tories, but the truth is they've backed David Cameron all the way.

"From trebling tuition fees when they promised to abolish them, increasing VAT when they promised not to, backing the bedroom tax, cutting tax for millionaires and undermining the NHS, the Lib Dems are not a constraint on the Tories - they are their willing helpers."

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Man Admits 'Malicious' Teacher Death Message

A 42-year-old man has pleaded guilty to making "malicious communications" relating to the fatal stabbing of teacher Ann Maguire.

Robert Riley, from Port Talbot in South Wales, admitted sending Twitter messages of a grossly offensive, abusive or malicious character in front of magistrates in Leeds on Monday.

The messages were not read out, but the court heard some of them related to Mrs Maguire, 61, who was stabbed to death in front of her students at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds last Monday.

Solicitor Michael Walsh, for Riley, said: "He is mortified by his own behaviour and he apologises for any upset that may have been caused to everybody."

The case has been transferred to Swansea Magistrates' Court, after magistrates were told Riley must be sentenced where the messages were sent.

Riley was given bail on condition he does not use the internet and social networking sites before he appears before court on Thursday.

On Sunday, prayers were said at dozens of churches across West Yorkshire for the family of the dedicated Spanish teacher and mother-of-two, who was due to retire in September.

A book of condolence has also been opened at the cathedral in Leeds for those who want to express their sympathies.

Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, has been released on bail after also being charged over making "malicious communications" relating to Mrs Maguire's death.

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Police Called Over Boys' Teacher Poison Plot

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

Police were called to a school after two boys poured a mixture of bathroom products into a teacher's drink on her classroom desk.

The teacher was alerted before she drank from what was reported to be a coffee flask containing a bleach-like substance at Clapham Terrace Community Primary School in Leamington Spa.

It happened on Tuesday, the day after teacher Ann Maguire was stabbed to death in a classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.

It is believed the plot in Leamington Spa was thought up by a gang of pupils who call themselves "The Mafia", The Sun claimed. The boys involved are reportedly aged 10.

They are thought to have drawn up a "hit list" containing the names of six teachers, the paper reported.

School governors said police had spoken to the children but neither the school nor the teacher wanted to press charges.

A statement from school governing body chair Philip Robbins said the pupils concerned were disciplined over the "homemade concoction".

A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: "Police were called to a school in Leamington Spa following a concern for a person's safety.

"While they provided advice and guidance to pupils and teaching staff it was determined by the school to be an isolated incident and was dealt with by teaching staff."

A letter about the incident was sent to some parents at the school, which has recently been given a "good" Ofsted rating.

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Stephen Sutton Rejects Cancer 'Duping' Claims

A terminally ill teenager who has raised more than £3m for charity has denied "duping" people after being released from hospital following a dramatic improvement in his condition.

Stephen Sutton, who was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer aged 15, was recently discharged after saying he had "coughed up a tumour".

This has led to some people questioning his story, but Mr Sutton has responded by insisting that he still has incurable cancer.

Replying to one user on Twitter, Mr Sutton, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, wrote: "Sorry to disappoint you! So you know, I still have my cancer and it's still incurable, if that makes you feel less 'duped' x."

Mr Sutton recently met Prime Minister David Cameron

The Birmingham Mail has reported that one person wrote on its Facebook page: "Am I the only one who thinks something is not quite right here? While I hope I am wrong it feels like we are being conned.

"One minute he tweets saying he is dying and won't see the next day, then all of a sudden he is being released to go home.

"As I said, I hope I am wrong but I have a strange feeling about this."

Writing on Twitter on Monday, Stephen said: "I just gave a quick response, thought nothing of it and was (and still am) completely unaffected by it.

Breaking a world record was on the 19-year-old's 'bucket list'

"Trolls and cynics exist. It's a shame. But just try not to retaliate too aggressively or get too riled.

"Like I've said before: On the whole people are 'good', lets concentrate on that."

The 19-year-old experienced a huge surge in donations to his JustGiving page after celebrities used Twitter to highlight his fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Raising £1m for charity had been one of the items on his "bucket list" of 46 things to do.

On Sunday he ticked another item off the list when he set a Guinness World Record for the most people making a heart-shaped hand gesture - more than 500 people.

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Gerry Adams Back On Sinn Fein Campaign Trail

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams will be returning to the campaign trail today for the forthcoming local and European elections after being freed by police investigating a notorious IRA murder.

Less than an hour after he was freed from questioning, he said he was an innocent man and denied all involvement in the abduction, killing and burial of widowed mother-of-10 Jean McConville in 1972.

He offered the police his full, ongoing support but warned he was "concerned about the timing" of his arrest which came before the polls.

Sinn Fein has accused an "anti-peace process rump" within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) of orchestrating the detention with the aim of damaging the party ahead of the polls.

It had also warned it would review its support for policing if Mr Adams was charged.

Armoured Land Rovers were prevented from leaving the police station

The republican party is holding a European election rally in Belfast this evening and a similar event in Dublin on Tuesday.

The decision to let him go on Sunday night after four days in custody being questioned was met with anger as loyalist protesters attempted to block the road outside the police station to stop him leaving.

Mr Adams, 65, told a news conference in west Belfast: "Let me be very clear - I am innocent of any involvement in any conspiracy to abduct, kill or bury Mrs McConville.

"I have worked hard with others to have this injustice redressed and for the return of others killed during the conflict and secretly buried by the IRA, and I will continue to do so.

"While the past needs to be dealt with and Sinn Fein is up for doing this, including the issue of victims and their families, there can be no going back.

"Peace needs to be built with a determination and a consistent focus."

He also revealed he did not eat during the first two days of his detention.

He said: "The old guard which is against change, whether in the PSNI leadership, within elements of unionism or the far fringes of self-proclaimed but pseudo-republicans - they can't win.

"The dark side of the British system cannot be allowed to deny anyone - Catholic, Protestant or dissenter - from our entitlement to a rights-based citizens-centred society as set out in the Good Friday Agreement.

"I've never disassociated myself with the IRA, and I never will. But I'm glad that I an others have created a peaceful and democratic way forward for everyone. The IRA is gone, finished."

As Mr Adams gave a news conference at a west Belfast hotel, Mrs McConville's son Michael called for an independent body to investigate the allegations made against Mr Adams "so there is no political pressure on the police".

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Children In Hospital After Mass Plane Sickness

Sixty children have been treated by paramedics after some of them began vomiting and suffering diarrhoea on a flight to London.

The friends, who are aged between 10 and 14, told crew members they were feeling poorly after taking off from Dubai.

Emergency services met the plane when it landed at Heathrow

Four ambulances, as well as a rapid response bike and a hazardous materials unit, met the Emirates Airbus A380 when it landed at Heathrow airport.

Most of the children were treated on the runway but 11 were taken to hospital in Hillingdon, west London, and later discharged.

The youngsters had been travelling back from Cape Town, where they had performed together as part of the 64-strong Only Kids Aloud children's choir.

A separate platform was used to help the children from the plane

Bet Davies, of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, where the choir rehearses, said: "Some (of the children) were sick on take off, some on landing and some during the turbulence.

"The rules of the airline industry state that if more than three children are sick on the same flight, you need to have paramedics in to check on them.

"We were also anxious that they were checked out before travelling back to Wales as we have a duty of care towards them."

In total, 11 children were treated in hospital for vomiting and diarrhoea

She added: "The medics say it could have been somebody with a bit of a bug before they travelled or it could be a combination of what I describe as nausea, tiredness and not drinking enough."

Only Kids Aloud sang with multiple Grammy and Classical Brit Award winner Bryn Terfel during their trip to South Africa.

An Emirates spokesman said: "We're providing the affected passengers with all possible support and are working closely with the local authorities to investigate the issue."

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Miliband Urges Caution On Pfizer Takeover Bid

AstraZeneca: The Key Statistics

Updated: 11:23am UK, Friday 02 May 2014

American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which makes Viagra, has until May 26 to confirm its intentions in what could be Britain's biggest ever takeover. Here are some key statistics and history about AstraZeneca:

:: Pfizer's original bid earlier this year for AstraZeneca valued the company at just under £60bn.

:: Its boosted bid on May 2 valued it at £63bn.

:: AstraZeneca operates in more than 100 countries and employs 51,500 people worldwide.

:: Around 9,000 of its staff work in research and development (R&D).

:: It attracted £15.6bn of annual sales in year ending December 31, 2013, however this was down 24% in two years - from £20.4bn in 2011.

:: Reported operating profits have fallen from £7.8bn to £2.2bn, a fall of 71% over the same period.

:: Key to these falling sales and profits is the loss of exclusivity on some of its blockbuster drugs including Arimidex, Atacand, Crestor, Nexium and Seroquel IR. In 2013, the loss of exclusivity directly reduced revenues by £1.3bn.

:: The group forecast that, with new drugs coming online and its extensive acquisition activity, revenues will be back in line with its 2013 figures by 2017.

:: In the three years to 2013, it has completed more than 150 acquisitions including Pearl Therapeutics and Omthera Pharmaceuticals.

:: In 2013, it bought Amplimmune for £700m to help the group secure future products.

:: Analysts see the group battling to sustain itself in a more competitive industry, where cheaper generics eat into the profits on successful drugs post exclusivity.

:: The R&D cost and difficulty of developing new equivalent blockbuster drugs keeps growing.

:: Pfizer's previous proposal on January 5 included a combination of cash and shares which represented an indicative value of £46.61 per AstraZeneca share.

:: The bid included a substantial premium of approximately 30% to AstraZeneca's closing share price of £35.86 on January 3.

:: AstraZeneca was formed in 1999 when Sweden's Astra - which was formed in 1913 - merged with the UK's Zeneca.

:: Zeneca was created in 1993 following a de-merger from ICI.

:: Pfizer's revenues were $51.6bn (£30.7bn) in 2013.

:: Pfizer employs 78,000 people worldwide including 900 in Britain.

:: It makes Viagra and Chap Stick.

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Slavery Becomes 'Big Business' In Britain

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

The number of people being used as "slaves" in the UK is increasing, according to a charity.

Hope for Justice, which campaigns against human trafficking, says the problem of forced labour, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation is a "massive" problem in Britain.

Sky News has obtained Freedom of Information figures showing that within the last three years 336 "slavery" offences were investigated by police in the UK.

Allan Doherty, the head of operations for Hope for Justice, says the statistics are not a true representation of the problem.

"On estimate it must be at least 10 times that, and that is just for the number of offences being investigated by law enforcement agencies.

"The actual number of trafficking victims is probably 100 times that again, because at least 90% of victims probably never even come to the attention of authorities or charities such as ours because it's such a hidden crime."

The freedom of information figures show that out of 336 offences, 170 were investigated by the Metropolitan Police in London, and 88 in Scotland - both have dedicated human trafficking units.

One reason given for the low figure released under the Freedom of Information Act is the way in which crimes are recorded. Often the more serious offence, such as rape or assault, is logged instead.

Hope for Justice also says that in the past front line services have not recognised the signs of trafficking but the situation is getting better.

Last year alone, the charity trained up to 700 police officers and social services staff to spot the characteristics displayed by trafficking victims.

In a statement the Minister for Slavery and Organised Crime, Karen Bradley, said the Government is doing everything within its power "to stamp out the evil in our midst".

The Modern Slavery Bill is being introduced by the Government

"The Government is introducing a Modern Slavery Bill, the first of its kind in Europe. We have set up an international group of Police - the Santa Marta Group - so that we can work internationally to stamp out this very complex crime.

"The Bill will ensure that victims are protected and that slave drivers will for the first time face life imprisonment.

"Work is being done to establish a better intelligence picture of the scale of this horrendous crime, and our chief scientist is looking at how we can gather an improved picture of what we are dealing with."

Pavel, who wanted to remain anonymous, was brought over to the UK and became a victim of slavery.

He was forced to work seven days a week in a car wash for no pay, one meal a day, and had to sleep on the floor with two other men, also slaves, in the same room.

"I feel embarrassed to talk about it because I felt terrible. It's somehow impossible to describe, feeling worthlessness, losing my confidence, losing my pride - you feel abused and they treat you like a thing, without any feelings. Every word they say is false."

Pavel was made to work seven days a week for no pay

Pavel lived with the threat of violence and said that one of the other slaves, who had learning difficulties, was also treated as a "maid" within the house.

"He was cleaning their rooms, and he was bringing shopping bags up. He was just their slave.

"Even the police don't know where he ended up, he just disappeared somewhere and no one knows where he is, so I think about him a lot."

Ben Cooley, CEO of Hope for Justice, says modern day slavery is big business in the UK, seen as low risk, often cash in hand, and high profit.

"These traffickers, these slave owners in our country, will find any avenue to raise money, to make money, whether it be rape for profit, forced labour for profit, whether it be domestic servitude.

"They are in it to get money, and they are doing very well out of it. We have rescued victims who have actually made, in a matter of months, £15,000 profit."

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'Break-In' Murder: 13-Year-Old Charged

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of Martin Thomas, who died from a stab wound during a suspected break-in at his home in southwest London.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, has been remanded in custody to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday.

A 15-year-old boy has already appeared in court charged with murder and has been remanded in custody.

A 17-year-old and a 16-year-old both arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail.

Mr Thomas, 39, was pronounced dead at his home in Huntingfield Road, Roehampton, on April 22.

A post-mortem revealed he died from a stab wound that punctured his lung.

Police are continuing to appeal for information surrounding his murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Charlie King, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said earlier: "At this early stage we are keeping an open mind about any possible motive.

"Members of the public have already provided us with accounts of three young men seen loitering in the area prior to the incident. I am directly appealing to these young men to come forward and speak us.

"I am also urging anyone who may have more information regarding this incident to contact us."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 0208 721 4205 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Leeds Teacher Death: Man Charged Over Message

One man has been charged and another arrested in connection with what police describe as "malicious communications" following the murder of teacher Ann Maguire in Leeds.

Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death in front of her students at Corpus Christi Catholic College last Monday, where she had taught for more than 40 years.

West Yorkshire Police said Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, has been released on bail after being charged for the alleged abuse.

He is due to appear before Leeds Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A 42-year-old man, from Port Talbot, South Wales, has also been arrested and remains in custody.

Today prayers have been said at dozens of churches across West Yorkshire for the family of the dedicated Spanish teacher and mother-of-two.

Mrs Maguire was stabbed during a lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College

The Catholic Diocese of Leeds wrote to around 90 churches and urged them to pray for Mrs Maguire, who was due to retire in September.

A spokesman for the diocese said: "We are asking everybody to remember Ann Maguire in their prayers, and to remember her family who will be under pressure and stress at this time.

"She was amazingly well known in the local community for what she had done for young people.

"Everybody is so hurt by what has happened and taking time to recover.

"This is a time to remember her. We are talking about three generations of people - children, parents and grandparents - whose lives she has touched.

"She made a major difference to a lot of people's lives through the care she gave them and her teaching.

"Part of her philosophy was to make sure that students achieved their best, and this is a chance to remember her."

A book of condolence has also been opened at the cathedral in Leeds for those who want to express their sympathies.

A 15-year-old boy is in custody charged with Mrs Maguire's murder.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video-link at Leeds Crown Court on Friday. There was no application for bail.

The case was adjourned until July 11 for a plea and case management hearing.

A date for the start of the murder trial was set for November 3.

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Gerry Adams Released In 1972 Murder Inquiry

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been freed from custody after being questioned for four days about a murder dating back to 1972.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland announced his release in a tweet and said a file will be sent to the Public Prosecution Service, which will decide whether there is a case to answer.

A handful of protesters holding placards stood outside Antrim police station bearing messages such as "Justice for Jean" and "Justice for Victims".

Mr Adams has yet to emerge from the building.

Martin McGuinness insists Mr Adams arrest was politically motivated

He had spent a fourth day being questioned by detectives about the murder of mother-of-10 Jean McConville, who was snatched from her home in front of her children.

On Friday, officers were granted another 48 hours to quiz the republican party leader at Antrim police station.

They had to charge him or release him by 8pm tonight.

Mr Adams, 65, had been questioned for up to 17 hours a day, Sky News understands.

He vehemently denies allegations that he ordered Ms McConville's murder.

No one has ever been charged with the 37-year-old's killing.

Her body was finally discovered in 2003 on a beach 50 miles from her home.

The decision on whether to proceed with a prosecution of Mr Adams would normally rest with the region's Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory QC.

Peter Robinson has accused Sinn Fein of "bully boy tactics"

But he is likely to delegate the case to another senior PPS official, as he has previously acted as Mr Adams' lawyer.

Labour's former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain told Sky News Mr Adams' arrest meant British troops investigated over the Bloody Sunday killings would now have to be detained.

His arrest has led to a growing political row, with Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson accusing Sinn Fein of attempting to blackmail police.

The party had warned it would review its support for policing if Mr Adams was charged.

Mr Robinson said: "The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bully boy tactics."

Senior Sinn Fein member Gerry Kelly told reporters outside Antrim police station he had seen Mr Adams and he was being treated well.

"Like myself and all the members of Sinn Fein, he believes that the timing of this was political, that the extension of it was political and he's worried about the damage that it might be doing to the image of policing as well and that it's been mishandled in that type of fashion," he said.

Speaking at the unveiling of a mural of Mr Adams in Belfast on Saturday, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness alleged some people in the PSNI are "hostile" to the peace process.

He said: "In my view this is a failed attempt at the replay of the effort in 1978 to charge Gerry Adams with membership of the IRA. That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles.

"It failed then and it will fail now.

"Thirty-six years later those within the PSNI who are hostile to the peace process are using the same old dirty tricks. They are deliberately and cynically exploiting the awful killing of Jean McConville and the grief and hurt inflicted on her family."

Sinn Fein's decision to sign up to support the PSNI in 2007 was viewed as a major milestone in the peace process.

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Adams Arrest: Sinn Fein 'Using Bully Boy Tactics'

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson has accused Sinn Fein of attempting to blackmail the police over the arrest of Gerry Adams.

The Sinn Fein president has spent a fourth day being questioned by detectives about the 1972 murder of mother-of-10 Jean McConville, who was snatched from her home in front of her children.

Mr Adams, 65, has been questioned for up to 17 hours a day since his arrest, Sky News understands.

Gerry Adams has spent a fourth day being questioned by detectives

On Friday, officers were granted another 48 hours to quiz the republican party leader at Antrim police station. They must now charge or release him by 8pm on Sunday.

His detention has led Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to warn Sinn Fein would review its support for policing if Mr Adams is charged.

But Mr Robinson said: "The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bully boy tactics.

"The protest action taken by Sinn Fein is unacceptable in any democratic country operating under the rule of law.

"The publicly conveyed threat to the PSNI delivered by the highest levels of Sinn Fein that they will reassess their attitude to policing if Gerry Adams is charged is a despicable, thuggish attempt to blackmail the PSNI."

Martin McGuinness says the arrest is politically motivated

Senior Sinn Fein member Gerry Kelly told reporters outside Antrim police station he had seen Mr Adams, and said he was being treated well.

"And like myself and all the members of Sinn Fein he believes that the timing of this was political, that the extension of it was political and he's worried about the damage that it might be doing to the image of policing as well and that it's been mishandled in that type of fashion," he said.

Speaking at the unveiling of a mural of Mr Adams in Belfast on Saturday, Mr McGuinness alleged some people in the PSNI are "hostile" to the peace process.

He said: "In my view this is a failed attempt at the replay of the effort in 1978 to charge Gerry Adams with membership of the IRA. That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles.

"It failed then and it will fail now.

"Thirty-six years later those within the PSNI who are hostile to the peace process are using the same old dirty tricks. They are deliberately and cynically exploiting the awful killing of Jean McConville and the grief and hurt inflicted on her family."

Mr Robinson said Sinn Fein's actions were "unacceptable"

Sinn Fein's decision to sign up to support the PSNI in 2007 was viewed as a major milestone in the peace process.

Former first minister David Trimble has told the Sky News Murnaghan programme: "In itself, (Mr Adams' arrest) hasn't done anything (to the peace process) because normal processes are taking place.

"Information became available, allegations Mr Adams was involved in the killing of Jean McConville, the police obviously have to investigate that, they are obviously going to have to speak to Mr Adams at some point, and Mr Adams himself recognised that."

Mr Adams vehemently denies allegations that he ordered the murder of Ms McConville.

No one has ever been charged with the murder of 37-year-old Ms McConville. Her body was finally discovered in 2003 on a beach 50 miles from her home.

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