Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 Desember 2014 | 22.11
A man has appeared in court accusing of murdering a community safety campaigner who was stabbed to death during the morning rush hour.
Trevor Gibbon, 48, of Harrow, northwest London, was remanded in custody by magistrates in Hendon.
He held on to glass at the front of the dock and looked around the court during the brief hearing.
Alison Morrison - Gibbon's neighbour - was killed on her way to work on Thursday.
Police were called to the attack in Alexandra Avenue at 7.47am.
Ms Morrison was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, where she died from her injuries.
A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds.
Harrow Council leader David Perry said: "Alison Morrison was passionately committed to creating a safer Harrow through her work with the Harrow Safer Neighbourhood Board and as a community champion, and it is terrible news that she has lost her life in this violent way in a borough she cared so much about.
"Alison's colleagues on the Safer Neighbourhood Board are absolutely shattered by this news, as are the staff of Harrow Council. Alison was a key member of the board and a tireless advocate of its work.
"We will do whatever we can to help the police. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Alison's family."
Ms Morrison's family said in a statement: "Alison was an inspiration, a warm and loving person who will be deeply missed by her husband and son. Her devastating loss as a result of this senseless attack is also felt by all the family, local community and all who knew her."
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an off-duty police constable was beaten to death in Liverpool.
Neil Doyle was attacked by a group of men during a Christmas night out with colleagues from Merseyside Police.
The 36-year-old got married in July and was due to go on honeymoon next month.
Two other off-duty officers suffered facial injuries in the attack, which took place near the Aloha nightclub in Colquitt Street at around 3.15am on Friday.
Officers are investigating the possibility they were targeted because of their jobs.
The 28-year-old suspect walked into a police station on Friday evening and is being interviewed by detectives.
Police at the scene of the killing in Liverpool
Mr Doyle, who joined the force in May 2004, was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital, but died a short time later.
A post-mortem examination concluded he died from fatal bleeding around the brain, consistent with an assault.
Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy described the investigation as being at a "very early stage".
He said: "On behalf of everybody connected with Merseyside Police I extend our heartfelt and sincere condolences to his wife Sarah and the rest of his family.
"Constable Doyle was enjoying a Christmas night out with his work colleagues.
"At around 3.15am Neil left the Peacock bar and walked with two colleagues along Colquitt Street in the city centre.
"The three officers were subjected to an apparently unprovoked and vicious attack by a group of males."
Mr Doyle had received a commendation for his actions in arresting three men after a violent robbery.
Peter Singleton, chairman of Merseyside Police Federation, said the police community was "devastated" by his killing.
"He exemplified the British bobby. He was a solid, good, hard-working, honest copper," he said.
The two other officers required hospital treatment. One suffered a fractured cheekbone.
Flood victims in Somerset say they are facing insurance quotes of tens of thousands of pounds to protect their homes from future flooding.
Sky News has seen one renewal quote of almost £100,000 for one year. That falls to just under £500 for the year if flood cover is removed.
The owners did not want to speak on camera but told Sky their property in Moorland would only cost around £120,000 to rebuild from scratch.
Neighbour Sally Vize has been told she won't be able to move back into her home until March - 13 months after the winter storms caused £120,000 worth of damage.
Sally Vize's home suffered £120,000 worth of damage
She is due to renew her insurance in the next few months, but is extremely concerned she won't be able to afford the quote.
"I think someone said £12,000 if they want to insure for floods again, who can afford that? It's ridiculous, and I think it's morally wrong," she said.
Video:Home Ruined By Floods
One in six homes in England are at risk of flooding and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates between 300,000 and 500,000 UK households could struggle to obtain affordably priced flood insurance.
From next summer, in conjunction with the Government, the ABI is hoping to launch its Flood Re scheme which will allow insurers to pass the flood risk element of a home insurance policy into a fund that will pay any subsequent flood claim.
Mark Shepherd, from the ABI, explained: "In certain parts of the country this is becoming a much bigger problem and that's why we are working with the Government to introduce Flood Re, which in the future will ensure those homes at the highest flood risk will still be able to get affordable flood insurance."
Video:Flood Emergency Aid Box
Since the flooding began last Christmas, a group called the Somerset Emergency Volunteers have been helping those in need of immediate help.
They have filled a warehouse with donations including food, clothes, furniture and household goods to allow people to begin replacing what they have lost.
They are also providing 400 homes with emergency boxes and sandbags so they are prepared for any repeat.
Video:Flood Aid Supplies Stockpiled
"Moorland and Fordgate were only given six sandbags by the council when it was flooded - three for the front door, three for the back," said assistant operations manager Sadie Forster.
"We're giving them 36 reusable sandbags."
The Environment Agency has now dredged 8km of river in Somerset, with the Government promising to spend £4.2m on flood defences in the county.
A teenage attempted murder suspect who was mistakenly released from jail has been recaptured by police.
Jordan Francois, 18, was on remand from Wandsworth Prison in southwest London.
A £10,000 reward was being offered by the Metropolitan Police for information which led to his arrest. Scotland Yard had said he was "unlawfully at large".
Francois was known to have ties to north London, and was arrested in Edmonton at 5.35am on Saturday morning.
The Prison Service has now confirmed it will be "formally investigating" the incident.
A spokesman added: "Releases in error are a very rare but regrettable occurrence. The number of incidents have fallen significantly in recent years with figures down by a quarter compared to 2009/10 but every incident is taken extremely seriously and we are not complacent."
Women will "bear the brunt" of austerity measures if the Conservatives win the General Election, Labour has warned.
Analysis commissioned by the Labour Party from the independent House of Commons Library showed that freezing benefits and tax credits would disproportionately affect women.
It follows research earlier in the year that suggested that tax changes since 2010 have taken six times more from women than from men.
In his conference speech, the Chancellor set out plans to cut £3.2bn off the welfare bill by freezing many working-age benefits for two years from 2015.
The freeze will hit an estimated 10 million households and be a cut in real terms of around £320 to welfare payments including jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, income support and tax credits.
Labour said the House of Commons Library analysis showed 75% of the overall savings would come from women – rising to 80% of the savings from freezing tax credits.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "These new figures show how, once again, women will bear the brunt of David Cameron and George Osborne's choices.
"This follows four years of Budgets which have taken six times more from women than men – even though women earn less than men.
"Working people are already worse off under this Government. If the Tories win next year, three million working people face being made worse off because their tax credits will be cut again.
"This Strivers' Tax will cost a one earner family earning £25,000, with two children, almost £500 a year."
Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey defended the Government's record, telling Sky News: "You have got record rates of women in work, record number of women into work.
"You've also seen the pay gender gap fall to the smallest it's ever been.
"We've taken three million people out of the personal allowance threshold. Most of them are women.
"We've bought into extra support for childcare, as well free school meals for infants, so actually this Government has done a considerable amount to help women in the workplace and I'm proud of that record."
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 Desember 2014 | 22.12
Nigel Farage has said he feels sorry for a UKIP candidate who was forced to step down after being recorded using derogatory terms about homosexuals and Chinese people.
The politician described Kerry Smith, a parliamentary hopeful in one of UKIP's strongest constituencies, as a "rough diamond" who fell victim to London snobbery over colloquial language.
Mr Smith was taped in a phone call where he labelled gay party members as "poofters" and referred to someone as a "Chinky bird". The Essex councillor also joked about embarking on a "peasant hunt" by shooting people in Chigwell.
Even though the UKIP leader insisted his former colleague did not use the terms maliciously, he conceded Mr Smith was "not suitable to be a parliamentary candidate" for South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Mr Smith is 'not suitable' to stand as a parliamentary hopeful, Farage said
In an LBC interview, Mr Farage said: "I'm a bit sad, because Kerry Smith is a rough diamond. He's a council house boy from the East End of London, left school early and talks and speaks in a way that a lot of people from that background do.
"Even the 'poofter' comment - the next sentence he was saying how good a candidate was, and the fact he was gay would be an asset to the party.
Video:Nigel Farage: The Highs And Lows
"Kerry himself said that he used language that Del Boy used to use on Only Fools and Horses, and nobody objected then."
Mr Farage also claimed that "a lot of people" would use the word "Chinky", yet stressed he had never used the term himself.
Pressed on the issue, he asked: "If you and your mates are going out for a Chinese, what would you say you were going for?"
Mr Smith stood down as a parliamentary candidate earlier in December, and has since resigned as a UKIP member.
In light of the controversy, Mr Farage conceded UKIP does "have people who do things and say things that are wrong".
However, he insisted they only amounted to a small proportion of UKIP candidates, adding: "So do the other parties as well. We do not have a monopoly on stupidity, I promise you."
Video:May - Miliband: Farage 'Not Racist'
Mr Farage himself recently made headlines after appearing to blame immigration for traffic on the M4. During the interview, he claimed this remark was intended as a joke.
"I've learnt something. Never joke. There's no point, is there? No one's got a sense of humour anymore," he added.
John Healey, a Labour MP, said: "It tells you all you need to know about Nigel Farage: that he is defending words which the vast majority of people find offensive, while also suggesting that people living in council housing are racist.
"It's more proof that UKIP is a nasty party with no understanding of, and nothing to offer to, the people they want to represent. They are completely out of touch with modern Britain."
A jealous pensioner who organised a revenge acid attack on his teenage ex-girlfriend has been jailed for 18 years.
Mohammed Rafiq, 80, hatched a plan to blame an innocent man before organising the pre-planned assault on Vikki Horsman, which also involved a newly released prisoner and another offender.
Rafiq, of Cheshire Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, and co-defendants Steven Holmes and Shannon Heaps, were found guilty last week of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Judge Nicholas Webb described the attack in Tividale, West Midlands, as a "wicked" act with grave consequences.
Holmes, 25, of Allan Close, Smethwick, was jailed for 14 years after Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how he was paid just £50 to throw acid into Miss Horsman's face.
Heaps, 23, of Queens Avenue, Tividale, was given a 12-year custodial sentence for his role in pointing out the property where the doorstep attack took place.
Rafiq showed no sign of emotion in the dock as Judge Webb described him as being old enough to be his victim's great-grandfather.
Steven Holmes and Shannon Heaps
Miss Horsman, who was 19 at the time of the attack, was in court as the men were sentenced.
The care worker, who is now 20, was sprayed with a corrosive liquid after answering the door to Holmes on 15 April this year, and later spent five days in intensive care after suffering burns to her face, neck and body.
Ms Horsman was left badly scarred and was lucky not to be blinded.
Passing sentence, Judge Nicholas Webb told Rafiq, Heaps and Holmes: "Acid attacks are not uncommon in certain parts of the world.
"Thankfully, they are rare in England. Quite often they are to punish a woman who has refused to bow to the demands of a spouse.
"In such cases it is done to leave a permanent reminder of what happens when a woman rejects attempts to control her."
Speaking after the pensioner was jailed, Detective Constable Jason Moseley, of West Midlands Police, said: "This was a horrifying and complex case which centred around a controlling relationship.
"Rafiq's young ex-partner was seriously injured and left with devastating, lasting scars, which one can only presume was his intent, given the nature of the planned attack.
"He recruited two people to carry out the attack on his behalf and then tried to claim that he was also a victim.
"His victim now has to rebuild her life and move on from what was ultimately a controlling, abusive relationship that she paid a high price to leave."
The Metropolitan Police has released pictures of the 12 most wanted crime suspects in London, with the force vowing to continue to hunt for them over Christmas.
Investigators are appealing for help in finding the dozen, who are accused of burglaries and violent crimes, including actual bodily harm.
Among them is Alan Goodin, a 64-year-old man with 27 aliases. He is wanted in Ealing for allegedly fleeing a string of bed and breakfasts without paying his bills.
Another, Jay Wheeler, is accused of attacking one of his neighbours with a metal bar following a heated row over loud music.
The Met launched two operations in October to deal with a spike in crime traditionally seen during the winter months.
Operation Bumblebee aims to target the 25% rise in home burglaries reported this time of year, while Operation Equinox is designed to crack down on violence-related offences. Anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol is often to blame, with many crimes taking place near pubs and nightclubs.
Commander Simon Letchford said: "We will not give up in the search to find people who flout the law and cause people misery, and we will use every means available to catch them.
"The use of fugitive teams and other daily operations will continue to ensure those wanted are caught, so they can face justice."
Tumbling oil prices are resulting in lower petrol costs, but there are warnings the good news for drivers may not last.
With prices falling by more than 40% since June's high of $111 a barrel, there have been an increasing number of reports suggesting petrol prices across the UK could soon fall below £1 per litre - the lowest level since the end of May 2009.
Experts at the RAC believe petrol could fall to 99p a litre next year, while economists at Goldman Sachs also believe petrol could fall close to £1.
But AA president Edmund King insists this possibility remains "remote".
He said: "A 6.6p-a-litre drop in the price of petrol releases a potential £3m-a-day switch of consumer spending from fuel forecourts to other businesses.
Video:Oil Industry Faces Fresh Challenges
"It will also lower the cost of transporting goods, hopefully also to be passed on to customers."
Mr King went on: "However, the parallels with the 2008 crash, albeit that was a market in freefall while this one has been engineered by OPEC and could be stopped any time, carry a warning from the ghost of Christmas past.
"In 2009, a new year brought a new assessment of the market and pump prices started to rise again on January 5."
Video:Why Are Oil Prices Plunging?
Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also suggests petrol prices are unlikely to fall below £1-a-litre in the coming months.
But while the ONS said the price consumers pay at the pumps for petrol and diesel were "strongly related to the price of crude oil", it highlighted that price changes were "less volatile and the effect of changes in crude oil prices are delayed".
Ian Taylor, chief executive and president of Vitol, the world's largest oil trading company, told Sky News' Ian King Live that although the future was difficult to predict he believes the market "will steady up".
Video:How Do Oil Traders View The Future?
He said: "As you know oil traders are pretty useless at predicting price, but we sort of feel that inevitably at these price levels that several areas of the world will begin to cut back on capex (capital expenditure) and we'll see some reductions in supply and a big transfer of income to the consumers - hopefully lower petrol prices in the UK etc - and that will increase demand.
"We feel at the current prices and with Brent at $60 a barrel we should begin to see some stability, but oil has been a lot lower than this and a lot higher so it's difficult to predict just at this moment - but I do begin to believe the market will begin to steady up."
He added: "It's a pretty big tax cut for every single consumer in the world and it's a huge transfer of income from oil producers to world consumers. It's pretty positive for the UK, Europe and other big consuming countries around the globe."
Video:Oil Prices - Winners And Losers
Petrol pump prices have plunged in the last month with the mid-November to mid-December fall the third biggest in 25 years, according to the AA.
The motoring group said that between mid-November and mid-December UK average petrol prices fell 6.6p to 116.32p a litre.
Only the October-November 2008 fall of 11.5p a litre and the August-September 2006 dip of 7.9p have been greater than the most recent decline.
Video:What's Causing Falling Oil Prices?
The AA also said that average diesel prices have fallen 5.27p a litre to 122.16p over the mid-November to mid-December 2014 period.
And the fall does not include the very latest 2p-a-litre petrol reduction by the four biggest supermarkets which took effect on Wednesday.
Currently, south west England has the cheapest petrol, at an average of 116.1p a litre, while East Anglia has the dearest, at 117.1p.
Video:Oil Chief's Petrol Price Prediction
The cheapest diesel is to be found in Northern Ireland, at 121.8p a litre, with the most-expensive in Scotland, at 122.7p a litre.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 Desember 2014 | 22.12
The European Court of Justice has ruled British citizens should be able to bring non-EU family members into the UK without a travel visa.
It means the UK's borders could be open to large numbers of foreign migrants from outside the European Union, and will intensify pressure on David Cameron to tackle freedom of movement rules.
The landmark ruling centres on the case of Sean McCarthy, who has dual British and Irish citizenship, and his Colombian wife Patricia McCarthy Rodriguez.
Mrs McCarthy Rodriguez, who has two children with her husband - both with British citizenship, had to get a "family permit" every six months to visit the UK with her family.
She and her husband took their case to court under the freedom of movement rules claiming she should be able to travel without the visa because she had an EU Residence Card issued by the Spanish government.
Video:Breakdown Of Immigration Figures
The European court has now ruled in the couple's favour, saying the rules did not allow the British government to stop family members entering the country if they did not have a visa.
The Government said it was "disappointed" with the ruling.
The Prime Minister has come under increasing pressure to take on the EU over the impact of freedom of movement rules on immigration.
Last month he announced a block on EU migrants claiming welfare for the first four years after they arrive in the country, suggesting that if the EU blocked the move he would campaign for Britain to leave the union.
Responding to the European ruling, Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope, spokesman on justice and home affairs, said: "Of course the UK should have an immigration system which is fair, and does not disadvantage the right of British citizens to be with their family.
"However, we are disappointed with this judgment as we believe that the UK's visa system is both fair and lawful, and does an important job in meeting this country's migration needs.
"Britain will always be best placed to decide and deal with its own immigration needs - not a judge in Luxembourg."
UKIP MEP and spokesman on immigration Steven Woolfe said: "This ruling extends the so-called 'right to free movement' to millions of people from anywhere in the world who don't have citizenship of any country of the EU.
"This is yet more proof that Britain can never take back control of its borders as long as it remains in the European Union."
It's the news everyone has been waiting for - and the answer is yes, it will snow on Christmas Day.
But as with all weather news, the devil is in the detail as the flakes will only fall on the hilly parts of northern Britain on 25 December.
The rest of the country is expected to be dry, bright and seasonally chilly as people open their presents.
Those low temperatures, however, could lead to a post-Christmas dusting across the whole of the nation.
Forecasters say that between Boxing Day and New Year the cold air and snow could head south, becoming more widespread.
Video:Snow In Aviemore
Conditions will be wetter and windier, say experts, with the potential for the white stuff.
And this could lead to travel disruption across the country.
The second half of this week has brought milder weather, but going into the weekend, it will become colder and brighter.
Then on Sunday and into the start of the Christmas week, the milder conditions should return.
Sky News' weather forecaster Isobel Lang said: "Temperatures will rise again to around 12C (54F), way above the seasonal average.
"At this stage it looks as though the rain will clear during Christmas Eve, pushed away by strong but colder north to northwesterly winds.
"Will this bring a white Christmas? Some snow will fall over the hills in the north in this weather set-up, although it may be that many places are dry and bright but seasonally chilly."
She added: "The forecast looks much more disturbed between Boxing Day and the New Year which may well impact travel up and down the country.
"It looks wet, windy and potentially snowy as cold air spreads south across us."
The odds on it being an official white Christmas in London this year are 9/2 according to Sky Bet, at 5/1 in Cardiff, 4/1 Leeds and 9/4 in Aberdeen.
Obesity can count as a disability, the European Court of Justice has ruled in the case of an overweight man who lost his job.
The judgment said it could qualify if the obesity "hinders the full and effective participation of the person concerned in professional life".
A 25-stone (160kg) Danish childminder, Karsten Kaltoft, pursued the case after his local council sacked him in November 2010.
The court admitted there was no specific law on discriminating because of obesity.
However, it decided it could be classed as a disability if it involves "long-term physical, mental or psychological impairments".
EU employment laws make it illegal to discriminate on disability, as well as factors such as religion, belief, age or sexual orientation.
Authorities in the Danish town of Billund admit mentioning Mr Kaltoft's weight during a meeting but deny it played a part in his dismissal.
They say he was let go because there were fewer children to look after.
The case now goes back to judges in Denmark to look again and decide whether Mr Kaltoft is indeed obese enough to qualify as disabled.
If it agrees, the childminder is set to get a compensation pay-out.
Overweight workers in the UK could now also claim they are disabled because the court's decisions are binding in all EU countries.
Employers may then have to make special provisions, for example bigger desks or wider seats.
"Even if you are warned by a doctor that you are eating your way to obesity - if you bring it upon yourself - you could still be considered disabled," said Sky News' Richard Suchet.
Employment lawyer Vanessa Di Cuffa, from the firm Shakespeares, said the move would give more workers protection against discrimination.
"It is right that the EU has moved forward with enshrining this into law," said Ms Di Cuffa.
"However, employers must continue to, or start, providing appropriate support to staff with obesity issues at any level."
About 20% of European men and 23% of women are obese, according to the World Health Organisation, meaning they have a body mass index of more than 30.
Recently-announced NHS guidelines mean two million people could qualify for a £6,000 weightloss operation paid for by the Government.
Police are investigating the murders of three young boys as part of an inquiry into an alleged historical Westminster paedophile ring.
Detectives from Operation Midland want abuse victims and potential witnesses to come forward to assist them in their probe into the suspected gang.
They are appealing for any information from people who lived in or visited Dolphin Square in central London in the 1970s.
The residential development near Parliament has long been popular with MPs.
Officers believe the abuse took place at locations in London and the Home Counties, including military bases, between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s.
Scotland Yard is investigating the murders
An alleged victim - known as Nick - has come forward, claiming he was abused from the age of seven to 16 at a number of locations including a flat in Dolphin Square.
Nick has alleged he was abused by single men, groups of men and at "parties", and that other young boys were present who were also abused, police said.
Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald, the lead officer for the operation, said: "I appeal to men who were subjected to abuse 30 years ago to come forward.
"We are also investigating the murder of three young boys - we are determined to find answers."
He said people who lived in or visited Dolphin Square in the 1970s "will have seen or heard something that they only understand the significance of now".
Operation Midland is one of 18 strands of investigation that come under Operation Fairbank and there have been 1,000 witnesses and 900 documents so far.
A survivor of VIP sex abuse parties in the 1980s has revealed to Sky News the area of London where he says "part of him died".
'Michael' was abused growing up in care in North Wales but he and other children were also taken on a minibus for weekend trips to Pimlico in central London in the early 1980s.
Over two years ago Michael spoke exclusively to Sky News about the abuse and described how it felt like a "privilege" to be taken to London.
His life growing up in a brutal care home system meant that the trips to the capital were seen as exciting and that children used to fight for a seat on the minibus.
He was just 11 or 12 when he was taken there to be raped.
'Michael' says it felt like a privilege to go on trips to London
Back on the streets of Pimlico three decades later, Michael said: "I was brought down these streets. Could be any of these streets. But this is where the flat was, this is where we were brought as kids.
"To us they were kind of good days out because we'd be taken into London afterwards and kind of spoilt.
Video:Nov 2012: 'Michael' Talks To Sky
"And we were kids from North Wales, we'd never seen London, or Regent's Park zoo, or Hyde Park or Big Ben and all that stuff.
"And we had to put up with some nonsense that people did at night-time in a flat."
Michael has described how the children were plied with alcohol, taken into bedrooms and forced into sexual acts with various older men who he described as "Hooray Henrys".
He said: "It'll be covered up because MPs were involved, you know.
"Ministers were involved, Cabinet ministers. I know they were. I haven't exactly followed their careers. They've always been in the public eye."
Three years after he first spoke to Sky News, Michael has seen other survivors come forward with similar allegations.
Video:New Hope For Child Abuse Probe
He's seen the first conviction in the police-led re-examination of the north Wales care home scandal, and he's seen politicians consistently vowing to uncover the truth.
He is, though, disillusioned: "I just feel that as many people are coming forward, as many drop out, and I've got no faith in the Home Office or the Government to protect us, you know, the victims.
"This'll just be another story and that's sad you know.
"It should come out, because the people that did this to me, they're still walking around. Maybe round here. Maybe they live here."
Michael has been interviewed by police officers investigating claims of sexual abuse in London.
He travelled with officers to Pimlico to identify the property where he says the parties took place but has had to pull out of the police process due to his health problems.
Video:Abuse Survivor Slams Govt Inquiry
He knows other survivors who have since died or in some cases have taken their own lives.
Travelling back to Pimlico was a difficult process but Michael wanted to speak out on camera to remind people that the truth still has not been uncovered and that the abusers still have not been arrested.
Michael, who is receiving some professional support, added: "Part of me died here. Definitely. We shouldn't have been brought here, and made to do the things we did.
"In a perfect world they'd be caught with fingerprints or CCTV, but it's going to be my word against theirs, and they're going to win hands down.
"But they won't even be arrested - they won't even be arrested."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Desember 2014 | 22.11
A former public school teacher has been convicted of sexually abusing vulnerable young Kenyan street boys.
Charity boss Simon Harris, 55, had denied luring vulnerable boys using food, money and the promise of schooling to his home in the East African country where prosecutors said the abuse happened.
Harris, from Pudleston in Herefordshire, has been on trial at Birmingham Crown Court for nine weeks.
The trial has seen testimony from witnesses over a 6,500-mile video link.
The jury unanimously found Harris guilty of five sex assaults, including against a victim as young as nine, and on two counts of indecent assault.
He was also found to be guilty of four counts of possessing indecent images of children.
However, jurors acquitted him of seven charges including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.
Judge Philip Parker QC has told the jury he will accept majority verdicts on the remaining five offences, which include an allegation of rape against a child under 13.
Sky's Enda Brady said the court heard how Harris used his position as a charity worker to abuse the youngsters.
It is the first time new legislation has been used to successfully prosecute a British citizen for offences committed in Africa.
A man murdered following a "verbal altercation" with a group of youths outside his home has been named as Christopher John Barry.
Scotland Yard say the 53-year-old was also known as Jack.
Police say the victim and youths did not know each other
The victim was stabbed at his home in Edmonton, north London, on Sunday evening after he was said to have been involved in dispute with a group trying to get into a party at another address in the block of flats.
Four boys - three aged 14 and one 13-year-old - arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail.
Video:15 Dec: Locals On Edmonton Murder
They must return to an east London police station on a date in late January pending further inquiries, according to police.
A second 13-year-old boy, also held on on suspicion of murder, remains in custody.
A post-mortem examination on Monday found the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.
Mr Barry is thought to have become involved in an argument with a group of boys as he attempted to get into the flats in The Broadway.
He was allegedly followed into the building by two of the boys and stabbed.
Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, who is heading the investigation, said: "Our initial inquiries have established that there was a supervised party taking place at another address within the block and the group of males were trying to gain access to this.
"The victim and this group were not known to each other - what started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence."
A report suggests online retailers are on target for record Christmas sales following the largest monthly spike for 14-years in November.
The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index said Black Friday was behind the surge.
Online sales rose 37% month-on-month and 20% year-on-year in November, with consumers eager to bag a bargain spending an estimated £12.1bn.
Online sales rose 44% in the week beginning 23 November when Black Friday offers began, culminating in the day itself on 28 November.
The Black Friday shopping frenzy is a US-import and was introduced there on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Those who ventured out to shops to cash in on the pre-Christmas offers encountered long queues and stampedes for items such as TVs and laptops.
Some retailers struggled to deal with the large volumes of web traffic
Website traffic was also delayed as online stores were swamped.
IMRG said the best performing sectors in November were gifts, up 154% month-on-month, health and beauty, up 99%, and electricals, up 71% month-on-month and 22% year-on-year.
Video:Retailers Hoping For Busy Weekend
Its chief information officer, Tina Spooner, said: "The unprecedented level of traffic to retail websites over Black Friday weekend resulted in a significant spike in online sales during the last week of November.
"In fact, sales on Black Friday alone surged 135% year-on-year as consumers flocked to retail websites on what turned out to be the busiest online shopping day of the year to date.
"Many retailers reported that Black Friday was their biggest ever day for online sales, however some reported a slowdown in sales in the days leading up to Black Friday as consumers waited for discounts and promotions before starting their Christmas shopping.
"Consequently, last month we saw the steepest October to November growth in the 14-year history of the index, with sales up 37% month-on-month.
"Although average spend per shopper was down about 9% from the previous month, overall estimated spend reached a staggering £12.1bn in November and it looks like we are on target for another record-breaking Christmas with estimated spend set to break the £100bn barrier by the end of this year."
The Conservatives have set out plans to reduce the influence of Scottish MPs over laws that affect only England and Wales.
William Hague, the leader of the House of Commons, has published a Command paper with three options. They are:
:: A total ban on Scottish MPs having any say in English or Welsh legislation
:: A veto for English MPs over laws that only affect their constituents
:: A committee of England-only MPs that would scrutinise legislation, with a say during at least the early stages of policy-making
Video:Home Rule Commons Voting Changes
Many Tory MPs would like to see a full system of English votes for English laws.
They have been loudly demanding the change ever since the Westminster parties made a "vow" of further devolution to Scotland.
But Labour is cautious about any change because it has 41 MPs north of the border and fears the impact of English-only votes.
It is possible that Labour could have a UK-wide majority that is lost without their Scottish MPs, meaning they could be in power but unable to pass key legislation, such as a Budget, through Parliament.
There is a suggestion that Downing Street favours the veto option, while Labour would prefer a committee with much weaker powers.
The Lib Dems want a grand committee composed in proportion not to the number of MPs that each party has in Westminster, but to their vote share at the election.
David Laws, the Lib Dem schools minister, said that would be consistent with how power was devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the late 1990s.
Five boys, all believed to be aged 13 and 14, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed in north London.
The 52-year-old victim was attacked during an argument as he tried to get into a block of flats where he lived in the Edmonton area last night.
Police say the victim - who was with a woman - continued into the block but was followed by two of the males and he was then stabbed.
The young males did not know the victim, who died at the scene shortly before 8.40pm.
Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock said: "Our initial enquiries have established that there was a supervised party taking place at another address within the block and the group of males were trying to gain access to this.
"The victim and this group were not known to each other - what started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence."
Sky Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "There is a good deal of police activity at the scene, much of it focused on talking to people that live in this block of flats.
"They're trying to establish how what appears to have been an altercation turned into such a drama."
Businesses are furious after a piece of software used by retailers on Amazon went wrong, causing hundreds of items to be sold for 1p.
Some firms which use RepricerExpress say they risk going bankrupt because the problem has resulted in them losing so much money.
The software is designed to keep businesses competitive by automatically repricing items of stock so they are cheaper than others in the digital market.
The firm states on its website: "We are here to increase your sales on Amazon and Rakuten's Play.com and make your efforts as profitable as possible."
For an hour on Friday, between 7pm and 8pm, a problem with RepricerExpress led to hundreds of items being sold on Amazon at a fraction of their normal price. At the same time, some customers said, Amazon charged its usual fees for every item sold.
One of the sellers, Judith Blackford of Kiddymania, told Sky News she could be forced out of business as result of the error.
She said: "I started using Repricer Express - a repricing tool as did a lot of other businesses a few months ago.
"Last night through an error in their programme they listed my stock on Amazon at 1p per item including delivery.
"I have lost about £20,000 overnight. Having asked Amazon to cancel the orders they are still sending them out and charging me horrendous fees.
"Surely someone has to be accountable for this. I will be bankrupt at this rate by the end of January."
Another online trader Belle thinks her company, which sells toys and games, will lose around £30,000 and she will probably be put out of business.
Belle thinks her firm, which sells toys and games, will lose around £30,000
She told Sky News: "It's disgusting really because this third party software, that is their business, this should not have happened, this is 2014.
"We have to pay for this software every month, we've been using it for 18 months no problem.
"At the busiest time - this was predicted to be our busiest weekend of Christmas - turnover is zero."
As a result of the error, several buyers commented on Twitter at how pleased they were to have bought the items for so little.
One person wrote: "Amazon are having a glitch on their site and loads of stuff is selling for 1p. I just bought an incense holder, don't even need it."
An email to some customers from the CEO of RepricerExpress, Brendan Doherty, said the problems with the software caused incorrect pricing to be sent to Amazon.
A statement on the company's website from Mr Doherty said: "I am truly sorry for the distress this has caused our customers.
"We have received communication that Amazon will not penalise sellers for this error. We are continuing to work to identify how this problem occurred and to put measures in place to ensure that it does not happen again.
"Everyone here is devastated and disappointed that you have experienced this problem.
"We understand that you are angry and upset and we will endeavour to work to make good on this issue."
A spokesman for Amazon said: "We are aware that a number of Marketplace sellers listed incorrect prices for a short period of time as a result of the third party software they use to price their items on Amazon.co.uk.
"We responded quickly and were able to cancel the vast majority of orders placed on these affected items immediately and no costs or fees will be incurred by sellers for these cancelled orders.
"We are now reviewing the small number of orders that were processed and will be reaching out to any affected sellers directly."
A scheme offering 100,000 first-time buyers new homes with a discount of 20% as part of a drive to help people onto the property ladder will be launched by David Cameron later.
Those under 40 who have never owned their own home can register their interest in buying via the Starter Home Initiative from the start of 2015 - six months earlier than planned.
Because of a change to the planning system set to come into force, under-used or unviable brownfield land will be freed from certain costs in return for a below market value sale price on properties constructed on the site.
Developers and councils are being urged to ensure the changes unlock a variety of sites across the country.
Mr Cameron said: "Hard-working young people want to plan for the future and enjoy the security of being able to own their own home. I want to help them do just that.
Video:Stamp Duty: Good News For Buyers
"Under this scheme, first-time buyers will be offered the chance of a 20% discount, unlocking home ownership for a generation.
"This is all part of our long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain, making sure we are backing those who work hard and get on in life."
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "The 2008 housing crash blocked millions of hard-working, creditworthy people from becoming home-owners, at a time in their lives when they should have been able to expect to get on the property ladder.
"We're turning that around with Help to Buy, but today's new Starter Homes scheme will offer a further boost, giving young people (under 40) the opportunity to buy low-cost, high-quality new homes for significantly less than they would normally expect."
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said the initiative is "another positive step" in tackling the shortage of housing.
At the moment, developers can face an average bill of £15,000 per home in Section 106 affordable housing contributions and tariffs.
But under the scheme, developers offering Starter Homes would not have to pay certain charges.
To ensure the savings are passed onto buyers, the homes will not be able to be re-sold at market value for a fixed period.
Video:July: Young Unable To Buy Homes
More than 30 house builders have already backed the plans, and say they would consider bringing forward land to be developed from next year.
A design panel will be set up to ensure the homes are not only cheap, but also high-quality.
Renowned architect Sir Terry Farrell, who is on the panel, said it could make a real difference.
He added it would build on the recommendations of the Farrell Review, which raised the need for more proactive planning.
Sir Terry said: "Only by planning and designing our villages, towns and cities together with local communities can we create the kind of built environment we all aspire to and should be demanding."
Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said no-one would believe the PM's promises on the issue, and added: "The only way to restore the dream of home ownership is to build more homes and Labour has a plan to get at least 200,000 homes built a year by 2020.
"We are in favour of building starter homes but it is not clear how the Government is going to deliver these homes 20% cheaper than market price."
The former boss of JJB Sports has been jailed for four years, after pocketing around £1m in what was described as a "very greedy fraud".
A court heard that Chris Ronnie, 52, owed more than £10m to an Icelandic bank when he diverted funds from suppliers going to the sportswear firm.
Ronnie, who lived in Wilmslow, Cheshire, then used some of the funds to buy property in Florida.
He was found guilty last month of three separate fraudulent payments when he was in charge of the company in 2007 and 2008.
Each of the diverted payments was a six-figure sum and they were not disclosed to the company's board.
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith told London's Southwark Crown Court: "This was a flagrant and disgraceful breach of your duty as a CEO of a public limited company."
Ronnie did not give evidence in his defence during the trial and after nearly 35 hours of deliberations jurors delivered a unanimous guilty verdict.
The Serious Fraud Office began investigating the case after receiving a tip from a computer engineer who was asked to delete any trace of emails related to the Icelandic loans.
JJB Sports, which was founded in 1971 by footballer Dave Whelan, entered administration in 2012.
Two business partners of Ronnie were also convicted of perverting the coure of justice, as they helped him conceal the fraud.
The Scottish National Party is on course to win over a quarter of a million ex-Labour General Election votes in Scotland, according to analysis carried out by the British Election Survey for Sky News.
The newly-published BES data shows the SNP at 42%, over double its 19.9% share at the 2010 General Election.
It also shows the full extent of the challenge facing the new Scottish Labour leader, Jim Murphy.
Just under half a million Scots voted for the SNP at Westminster in 2010.
The BES shows that they can hope to capture many more of the 1.6 million Yes voters from September's independence referendum.
Video:Murphy Named Scottish Labour Leader
Just 27% of those polled said they would vote Labour, versus 42% who voted for Gordon Brown in 2010.
The BES indicates 28% of Scots who say they will vote for the SNP voted for the Labour party in the 2010 General Election.
If repeated in May, that alone would leave the SNP close to the largest number of votes in Scotland.
Some experts have said that such a swing puts many "safe" Labour seats with massive majorities into play for the General Election.
James Dennison of Oxford University told Sky News: "Labour look set to lose a quarter of a million voters to the SNP in Scotland - out of just over a million voters last time.
"Bear in mind also that the SNP have never come anywhere near Labour in a general election - in fact they've struggled to outpoll the Tories in terms of votes in previous elections."
The data is from the most comprehensive poll of 30,000 voters in the UK, including nearly 5,000 Scots, and the questions were asked in September and October.
Subsequent smaller-scale polls have confirmed this picture.
Video:Salmond To Run For Westminster Seat
SNP sources told Sky News they were confident that the past pattern of voters supporting the party at Holyrood elections but returning to Labour at General Elections was changing.
The SNP is yet to formulate a formal target list, but Sky News has seen early analyses from senior nationalists.
Seats were analysed on the basis of a structural collapse in the Lib Dem vote.
The BES data show just 3% of Scots polled saying they will vote Lib Dem, down from an 18.9% vote share, suggesting that party is at risk of going from third to sixth place in Scotland.
On that basis, nationalists calculate that many more Labour seats become a plausible target for the SNP, requiring only a single digit swing.
The SNP expect to do well next May at the expense of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Former First Minister Alex Salmond is a candidate for selection for the SNP in the Gordon seat, currently held by the retiring Lib Dem Sir Malcolm Bruce.
The former Labour First Minister Henry Mcleish told Sky News that "Labour is facing a crisis" and that it should "stop hating the SNP and instead learn from the SNP".
Video:Nov: 'SNP Will Not Join Tories'
But there was some comfort for the new Scottish leader from the BES figures.
Many anti-independence and coalition-sceptical Lib Dems seem to be turning to Labour, limiting the collapse in their vote.
"Some of Labour's biggest majorities in the UK are in Scotland and this data would suggest that they'll keep those so there won't be a complete SNP whitewash. The data also suggests big movements of unionist Lib Dems to Labour," Mr Dennison told Sky News.
Sky News was granted exclusive access to an event in Aberdeen marking the surge in SNP membership.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Sky News her party had "captured the mood" of a new "direct and participative form of democracy" and it could "win" the General Election in Scotland.
That would suggest at least a fourfold increase in the number of SNP MPs from the existing six.
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Mr Smith is to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has been forced to apologise over making racist and homophobic remarks.
Kerry Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, issued a statement just days after being reinstated as the party's general election candidate in one of its top target seats.
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He suggested he had been stressed at the time of the comments and taking strong pain killers.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
1/16
Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
]]>
2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
]]>
2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
]]>
2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
]]>
He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
After his words - which he claimed were made two-and-half years ago - became public, Mr Smith said: "I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those I have offended within the party and anyone else."
In a bid to explain his comments he pointed out "at the time of this recording I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood".
"For the record I was also on a strong morphine based prescription medication for a back injury," he said.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
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UKIP Candidate Sorry For Offensive Remarks
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Mr Smith is to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has been forced to apologise over making racist and homophobic remarks.
Kerry Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, issued a statement just days after being reinstated as the party's general election candidate in one of its top target seats.
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He suggested he had been stressed at the time of the comments and taking strong pain killers.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
1/16
Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
]]>
2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
]]>
2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
]]>
2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
]]>
He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
After his words - which he claimed were made two-and-half years ago - became public, Mr Smith said: "I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those I have offended within the party and anyone else."
In a bid to explain his comments he pointed out "at the time of this recording I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood".
"For the record I was also on a strong morphine based prescription medication for a back injury," he said.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
The head of the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is demanding to see material documenting any British links to the CIA's use of torture.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, chair of the Commons committee, is seeking any intelligence relating to the UK that was redacted from the explosive Senate report into the CIA.
It concluded that the CIA lied over its torture and interrogation programme developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Sir Malcolm told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "This is a major United States' report and so we are requesting, both our colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee ... but also it will ultimately be the United States government, that will decide whether some of the material that has been redacted in the American report can be shown to us.
Jack Straw has been questioned by police over renditions, say reports
"We don't need to see everything that's been redacted, what we need to see are the bits that might refer to the UK government."
Asked whether that information would be made public, he said the ISC would only agree for it to be withheld "if the Prime Minister was able to convince us that there were legitimate national security reasons why it shouldn't be published".
Video:Former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer
He said there had been "justified" criticism of the ISC in the past, but it had new powers to order intelligence agencies to hand over requested files and for its staff to go to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to "personally inspect files to make sure nothing's been left out".
He said once the ISC had looked through the written material, "we will come to a judgement as to which people, first of all who in the intelligence agencies we wish to take evidence from, secondly either current ministers or former ministers who have intelligence on these matters".
Sir Malcolm said he does not think a judge-led inquiry into any British involvement in the CIA's rendition and torture programme is necessary.
Video:UK Bid To Access CIA Torture Report
He agreed the ISC does not have the power to compel ministers to give evidence, "but, of course, it would be huge scandal if they did refuse to".
The British Government has admitted requesting the deletion of references to Britain's intelligence agencies for national security reasons.
UK Government representatives had 24 meetings with members of the US committee responsible for the findings.
Video:MI5 And MI6 Involvement Questioned
Some of the deletions are believed to relate to the British Overseas Territory of Diego Garcia.
There is escalating pressure on the British government not to extend an agreement allowing the US to use the territory in the Indian Ocean as a military base.
Andrew Tyrie, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rendition, said any negotiations should address allegations that it was used by the CIA to render terror suspects around the world.
Video:UK Involvement in CIA Torture
"The negotiations on the lease can focus minds on establishing the scope and limits of Britain's involvement, direct or indirect, in extraordinary rendition," Mr Tyrie said.
"We are talking about kidnap and taking people to places where they may be maltreated or tortured."
The former Home Office minister, Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has taken a close interest in the atoll, said: "As it comes up for renewal, we need a full explanation of what happened in our name on that island."
Video:UK Wanted CIA Report Changes
It comes amid reports former foreign secretary Jack Straw was questioned by police investigating the abductions of two Libyans who say they were handed to Colonel Gaddafi and tortured by his regime.
Mr Straw was interviewed as a "witness" by Scotland Yard following claims the Government was complicit in the rendition of the two men and their families, the Sunday Times said.
The son of a Mayfair nightclub owner has been charged with his father's murder after he was found stabbed in London's West End.
The body of David West, 70, who ran the HeyJo club, was discovered at a residential address - thought to be his home - in Ormond Yard, behind Jermyn Street, near Piccadilly, on Friday evening.
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as a single stab wound.
Mr West's body was found at an address in Ormond Yard, behind Jermyn Street
His son, also called David West, 44, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Mr West Senior, who started out selling flowers and groceries from a Romford market stall, made his fortune selling cheap alcohol and cigarettes first from a double-decker bus in Calais, and then a warehouse called Eastenders.
The successful entrepreneur and self-syled lord also owned the Abracadabra restaurant in Jermyn Street, which specialises in Russian cuisine, and ran a "penthouse-style" guest house.
He is said to have bought the title of "Lord of the Manor of Hollesley" on eBay.
In 2007, Mr West hired Cherie Blair, the barrister and wife of former prime minister Tony Blair, to challenge the smoking ban.
Friends have paid tribute to him on Facebook.
Mickey Helliet said he was "absolutely gutted" at the death of his "longstanding friend".
He said: "Life is precious and can be snatched away at any moment. I normally go to see Dave and have a couple of drinks with him in one of his clubs at Christmas.
"I loved going to his clubs. Really going to miss him, a real character. RIP."
Jelena Gauthier said she was "in utter disbelief".
She wrote: "RIP David West you were always such a gracious host, flamboyant man and a playful soul you will be missed by many."
Businesses are furious after a piece of software used by retailers on Amazon went wrong, causing hundreds of items to be sold for 1p.
Some firms which use RepricerExpress say they risk going bankrupt because the problem has resulted in them losing so much money.
The software is designed to keep businesses competitive by automatically repricing items of stock so they are cheaper than others in the digital market.
The firm states on its website: "We are here to increase your sales on Amazon and Rakuten's Play.com and make your efforts as profitable as possible."
For an hour on Friday, between 7pm and 8pm, a problem with RepricerExpress led to hundreds of items being sold on Amazon at a fraction of their normal price. At the same time, some customers said, Amazon charged its usual fees for every item sold.
One of the sellers, Judith Blackford of Kiddymania, told Sky News she could be forced out of business as result of the error.
She said: "I started using Repricer Express - a repricing tool as did a lot of other businesses a few months ago.
"Last night through an error in their programme they listed my stock on Amazon at 1p per item including delivery.
"I have lost about £20,000 overnight. Having asked Amazon to cancel the orders they are still sending them out and charging me horrendous fees.
"Surely someone has to be accountable for this. I will be bankrupt at this rate by the end of January."
Another online trader Belle thinks her company, which sells toys and games, will lose around £30,000 and she will probably be put out of business.
Belle thinks her firm, which sells toys and games, will lose around £30,000
She told Sky News: "It's disgusting really because this third party software, that is their business, this should not have happened, this is 2014.
"We have to pay for this software every month, we've been using it for 18 months no problem.
"At the busiest time - this was predicted to be our busiest weekend of Christmas - turnover is zero."
As a result of the error, several buyers commented on Twitter at how pleased they were to have bought the items for so little.
One person wrote: "Amazon are having a glitch on their site and loads of stuff is selling for 1p. I just bought an incense holder, don't even need it."
An email to some customers from the CEO of RepricerExpress, Brendan Doherty, said the problems with the software caused incorrect pricing to be sent to Amazon.
A statement on the company's website from Mr Doherty said: "I am truly sorry for the distress this has caused our customers.
"We have received communication that Amazon will not penalise sellers for this error. We are continuing to work to identify how this problem occurred and to put measures in place to ensure that it does not happen again.
"Everyone here is devastated and disappointed that you have experienced this problem.
"We understand that you are angry and upset and we will endeavour to work to make good on this issue."
A spokesman for Amazon said: "We are aware that a number of Marketplace sellers listed incorrect prices for a short period of time as a result of the third party software they use to price their items on Amazon.co.uk.
"We responded quickly and were able to cancel the vast majority of orders placed on these affected items immediately and no costs or fees will be incurred by sellers for these cancelled orders.
"We are now reviewing the small number of orders that were processed and will be reaching out to any affected sellers directly."
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Desember 2014 | 22.11
UKIP Candidate Sorry For Offensive Remarks
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Mr Smith is to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has been forced to apologise over making racist and homophobic remarks.
Kerry Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, issued a statement just days after being reinstated as the party's general election candidate in one of its top target seats.
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He suggested he had been stressed at the time of the comments and taking strong pain killers.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
1/16
Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
]]>
2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
]]>
2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
]]>
2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
]]>
He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
After his words - which he claimed were made two-and-half years ago - became public, Mr Smith said: "I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those I have offended within the party and anyone else."
In a bid to explain his comments he pointed out "at the time of this recording I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood".
"For the record I was also on a strong morphine based prescription medication for a back injury," he said.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
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Mr Smith is to fight South Basildon and East Thurrock for UKIP next May
A high-profile UKIP Westminster hopeful has been forced to apologise over making racist and homophobic remarks.
Kerry Smith, a member of both Essex County Council and Basildon District Council, issued a statement just days after being reinstated as the party's general election candidate in one of its top target seats.
Neil Hamilton stepped aside after Mr Smith was reinstated
He suggested he had been stressed at the time of the comments and taking strong pain killers.
In recordings of phone calls obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Smith is said to have mocked gay party members as "poofters", and referred to someone as a "chinky bird".
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Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures
1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.
1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.
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2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.
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2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.
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2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.
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He also joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a "peasant hunt".
After his words - which he claimed were made two-and-half years ago - became public, Mr Smith said: "I wish to issue a wholehearted and unreserved apology to those I have offended within the party and anyone else."
In a bid to explain his comments he pointed out "at the time of this recording I was considering my resignation due to major management changes which I have since discovered I completely misread and misunderstood".
"For the record I was also on a strong morphine based prescription medication for a back injury," he said.
Mr Kerry also accepted claims he made in the calls about party leader Nigel Farage and other senior figures were "completely wrong" and "fuelled by frustrations at the time".
Mr Smith was deselected as the candidate for South Basildon and East Thurrock in October - with Neil Hamilton, the former Tory minister who is now UKIP's deputy chairman, in the running to win the nomination.
But Mr Hamilton ended up endorsing the Essex county councillor in his hustings speech after Mr Smith was reinstated.
It led the ex-Conservative to hit out at party insiders over a "dirty tricks" campaign being run against him.
UKIP MEP Patrick O'Flynn said of Mr Smith's comments: "He needs to learn to express himself more respectfully about minorities of all kinds now he is off the prescription drugs and he is our candidate."
But he added: "He is very popular... He is a young man, he is learning politics.
"We don't want to become so anodyne and speaking in such non-colloquial language that we lose touch and I think some of the other parties risk doing that.
"But clearly what he said there is unacceptable. He has apologised unreservedly. There are big mitigating circumstances.
"It is from some time ago and we are willing now to judge him on his performance going forward from now."
