Driver Killed After Exiting Car On M'way

A driver died when he got out of his car in the middle lane of a motorway and was struck by a number of vehicles.

It happened on the southbound carriageway of the M18 near Doncaster shortly after 7am on Friday.

The 53-year-old, from Gilberdyke, Humberside, was believed to have got out of his blue Ford Escort after it stopped in the middle lane between junction three and two.

A 26-year-old in a green Ford Transit tried to avoid a collision but clipped the Focus, then hit the man, South Yorkshire Police said.

Two lorries collided with the van, then one of the trucks hit the man.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said the 53-year-old suffered "fatal injuries" and five people in other vehicles received whiplash.

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Horsemeat: Schools And Hospitals To Be Tested

Meals in schools and hospitals will be tested for horsemeat as part of a nationwide probe into processed beef products, the Environment Secretary has told Sky News.

Speaking ahead of an emergency summit with food producers, supermarkets and health officials, Owen Paterson, when asked if it was likely that school and hospital meals contained horsemeat, said: "We will be testing those as well, alongside products in retailers."

The Government has been unable to guarantee that state-provided food does not contain horsemeat.

The talks came as the retailer Aldi confirmed some of its ready meals contained 100% horsemeat, while Findus has admitted that it knew its products were affected more than a week ago.

Mr Paterson told Sky News that horsemeat in food labelled as beef-products was "completely, totally unacceptable".

He said he was "determined to get to the bottom" of the matter and to see if "it is gross incompetence or a serious criminal conspiracy".

The Environment Secretary added that "retailers are ultimately responsible for what they sell".

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also attended the meeting on Saturday. It has ordered all British retailers and processors to test all their processed beef products to make sure they are what they say they are within a week.

Mr Paterson said they would examine how the existing system works and how horsemeat got into the food network at the summit.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is holding emergency talks

Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh told Sky News Labour hoped the meeting would produce "some clarity from Government about what consumers should be doing and whether the Government's testing regime was going to work".

She added that, according to the food industry, the testing regime put in place by ministers was "completely unworkable".

With only six laboratories in the UK that can do the necessary DNA tests, testing hundreds of product lines in every supermarket would not be possible, she warned.

Meanwhile, the Aldi supermarket chain has confirmed that two of its ready meal ranges produced by Comigel, the French supplier also used by Findus, were found to contain between 30% and 100% horse meat.

The dishes affected are Today's Special frozen beef lasagne and Today's Special frozen spaghetti Bolognese.

The company said it felt "angry and let down" by Comigel and that anyone who had bought the affected products was entitled to a full refund.

Comigel, the company at the centre of the latest scare, whose headquarters are based in Luxembourg, has told the AFP news agency that the horsemeat originated in a Romanian abattoir.

The meat was supplied to Comigel by a meat-processing company called Spanghero, based in southwestern France.

The scandal has spread across continental Europe, with Findus withdrawing various frozen meals from both France and Sweden.

Swedish firm Findus has also pledged to sue an unidentified party over the matter, saying it was "deceived". 

Speaking from Luxembourg, Sky News Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White said authorities now faced a "complex and very difficult investigative process" to trace the contaminated meat.

Testing of Findus beef lasagne showed some contained 100% horsemeat

He said authorities had acknowledged that the meat may have come from more than one source.

"The French and the Luxembourg authorities say they have traced the contaminated meat to a supplier in France, but it's not as simple as that.

"They say there are multiple other suppliers into this French company and tracing them back to the source is proving much more problematic."

Politicians and food safety experts have played down the risk to human health, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying it was not about food safety, but about accurate food labelling.

He said the industry would have to work hard to restore consumer confidence.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Tom Watson has published a letter on his website which he claims was sent by Findus to retailers on Monday, warning that a France-based supplier had told it there may be problems with raw materials delivered since August 1 last year.

In it, the firm claimed raw materials delivered to a French contractor since August 1 were "likely to be non-conform and consequently the labelling on finished products is incorrect".

The letter added: "The supplier has asked us to withdraw the raw material batches."

Responding to the claims, Findus said they did not know about problems back in August and that they first suspected an issue on January 22, when they ordered the initial tests.

The product recall was ordered on February 2 after further tests had been conducted.

In a statement the company said they were only made aware of a possible August 2012 date through a letter dated February 2 this year, by which time it was "already conducting a full supply chain traceability review and had pro-actively initiated DNA testing".

Findus said it had not been invited to the Government summit but they were aware that the Food and Drink Federation, of which they are a member, was attending.

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Brit Charged Over Threats To Kill US Students

Detectives have charged a British man in connection with alleged threats to shoot dead 200 children at a US school.

Sky Tyne and Wear reported Northumbria Police arrested Reece Elliott, 24, from South Shields, on Friday on suspicion of making threats to kill.

An anonymous post made on Wednesday on a Facebook memorial page set up for a deceased student threatened a mass killing spree, saying: "I'm gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself."

Elliott has been charged with making threats to kill, and was remanded in custody after appearing before South Tyneside Magistrates Court.

He entered no plea, and offered to visit the local police station every day to avoid being remanded in custody.

When magistrates decided against this, he puffed out his cheeks and shook his head.

The prosecuting solicitor had earlier told the court: "I am not so sure this defendant knows just how serious this case is."

Homeland Security in the US was informed of the comments, and the threats led schools in Warren County, Tennessee, to tighten security.

Some reports said as many as 3,000 students did not attend classes the next day.

The post said: "My father has three guns. I'm planning on killing him first and putting him in a dumpster. Then I'm taking the motor and I'm going in fast.

Warren County Schools tightened security following the threats

"I'm gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself."

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Kristin Helm said its cyber crime agents are helping in the investigation and the source of the post had not been identified.

It is not yet known whether any potential prosecution will be brought in England or the US, or both.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "At 2.12pm on Friday February 8, police received notification that a man had posted threatening information on Facebook.

"A 24-year-old man from South Shields has been arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and is currently in custody.

"The message is believed to have been posted on Wednesday. There is nothing to suggest it posed any physical threat to any school either here or in America."

Bobby Cox, director of Warren County Schools in Tennessee, said: "As most of you are aware we received notice of violent threats directed at Warren County High School late Wednesday evening, February 6.

"We put an action plan together with the local authorities to ensure the safety of our schools and our campuses across the system.

"We wanted to make sure that we had all the facts before we sent a mass message out via our calling system to you.

"Currently the Sheriff's Department is working with the TBI and Homeland Security to trace down the person who posted this message.

"We have increased the presence of Police and Sheriff's Deputies in our schools today and tomorrow and all schools will limit access into each building to ensure the safety of our staff and students."

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported police officers were posted to 11 schools in the area.

In December, gunman Adam Lanza killed 27 when he opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

He died at the scene and the body of his mother, Nancy Lanza, was found at his family home. She had been shot in the face.

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Policewoman Killed In Londonderry Crash Named

A 27-year-old policewoman killed in a road crash involving a suspected stolen car has been named as Philippa Reynolds.

The officer - who had only been in the PSNI force for two years - was travelling in a police car on routine patrol at the time of the smash in Londonderry.

Two other officers in the patrol car were hurt in the crash, which happened at around 3.40am on Saturday morning, but their injuries are not life-threatening.

Police have arrested two men in connection with the crash on the Limavady Road in the Ebrington area of the city.

The Limavady Road has remained closed at its junction with Glendermott Road and Clooney Terrace while investigations were carried out.

The crash happened on the Limavady Road in Londonderry

PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said: "It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of our colleague. This is a personal tragedy for her family and also for the whole Police Service.

"She was out on duty, working to keep people safe, when she died. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

"I and my colleagues will ensure that no stone remains unturned as we work to bring to justice those who perpetrated this crime."

Ulster Unionist member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Ross Hussey said he was "shocked and saddened" by the officer's death.

Forensic officers examine the scene of the fatal smash

"I would like to pass on my heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of this officer," he said.

"We can only imagine the pain that they must be feeling. I hope that her injured colleagues make a speedy recovery.

"This young woman's death in the line of duty serves to re-emphasise the dangers faced by the officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on a daily basis, as they put themselves in harm's way to protect the whole community. They deserve our full support."

The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman's office has been informed.

Police are appealing for witnesses.

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Sex Assault Suicide: Police Defend Handling

Greater Manchester Police has defended its care of Frances Andrade, who killed herself after giving evidence against her abusers.

The violin teacher's testimony was central to the case against choirmaster Michael Brewer and his ex-wife Kay, who were found guilty of sexually assaulting their victim more than 30 years ago.

In a statement released after the verdicts, Mrs Andrade's son Oliver said his mother had praised an officer assigned to look after her, but that police had "heavily advised" her not to receive therapy until the end of the case.

He said: "She was forced to cope on her own with only the support of her family and very close friends.

"This meant that even after several attempts at her own life she did not get the help she needed. The state of mental healthcare in this country needs reform."

Greater Manchester Police say it is the force's policy to encourage victims to seek support.

Victim Frances Andrade has been described as "an amazing person"

GMP's head of public protection Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle said: "I would firstly like to extend my sympathies to the family of Frances Andrade.

"Our thoughts remain with them at this desperately difficult time and it is tragic she is not able to see she has been vindicated for the bravery she consistently showed throughout the investigation.

"I want to make it clear that it is Greater Manchester Police's policy and practice to encourage victims to seek whatever support they need.

"The advice to Frances not to seek support may have been given by another party but it was not the advice of Greater Manchester Police. Victims who have suffered sexual abuse have every right to seek whatever help they need.

"As Frances' son Oliver said in his very moving statement, the GMP officer who was assigned the case did everything he could to help Frances."

The body of Mrs Andrade, 48, was found less than a week after she gave evidence in the trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service decided to continue with the trial and Judge Martin Rutland ruled that news of Mrs Andrade's death should be kept from jurors until after they reached their verdicts.

After sending the jury out, the judge said: "Tragically a lady has lost her life during the course of these proceedings. She took her own life. She left no note. We do not know the circumstances in which she took her own life."

Mrs Andrade was visibly agitated on occasions as she gave her evidence over two days on January 16 and 17.

She chose to take to the witness box in full view of everyone in the courtroom, including the two defendants in the dock.

The jury heard that the police investigation was sparked by National Youth Choir teacher Jenavora Williams after Mrs Andrade, her friend, told her about her time at Chetham's.

Mrs Andrade told the court she wanted it to be dealt with internally but she said Mrs Williams went to the police in 2011 without telling her.

She then agreed to co-operate with the police and help the prosecution.

The mother-of-four, from Guildford, Surrey, who was married to acclaimed viola player Levine Andrade, was supported from the public gallery by one of her sons.

At one point she complained about Brewer smiling as she gave her evidence, but she chose to press on without drawing a curtain to block off the dock.

Judge Martin Rudland remarked that she was "clearly undergoing a cathartic experience, whatever the source" while giving evidence.

He said she was "combative" during cross-examination by Kate Blackwell QC, representing Brewer, and she had taken personal issue with some of the barrister's questions but the judge indicated that Ms Blackwell had acted professionally.

During the cross-examination, Mrs Andrade told the barrister: "You are hugely insulting, even though it's your job."

The judge told the defendants a jail sentence for both of them was "inevitable" as he remanded the pair in custody.

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Aamir Siddiqi Hitmen Jailed For 40 Years

Two hitmen who stabbed an innocent schoolboy to death by mistake have been jailed for a minimum of 40 years.

Ben Hope, 39, and Jason Richards, 38, both from Cardiff, were each paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who owed money to a shady businessman.

But the "hit" went wrong when the balaclava-clad killers, who were high on drugs, went to the wrong address in Roath, Cardiff, in April 2010 and murdered teenager Aamir Siddiqi by mistake.

The 17-year-old's frantic parents, Iqbal and Parveen, fought to save their son but were also knifed by the killers, who let out chilling howls.

Both men had protested their innocence throughout the four-and-a-half month trial at Swansea Crown Court and attempted to blame each other.

Aamir Saddiqi had won a place at Cardiff University

But a jury unanimously found them guilty of Aamir's murder and the attempted murder of his parents.

In sentencing, Mr Justice Royce said he had no choice but to "significantly increase" the minimum term of 30 years the prosecution had asked for.

"Aamir Siddiqi was the youngest child and only son of Sheikh Iqbal and Parveen Ahmed," he said.

"He was a bright, gentle and courteous boy who was much loved by his family. He had secured a place to study law at Cardiff and his future was brimming with promise.

"He was awaiting the arrival of his Koran teacher when he rushed past his parents to open the door.

Aamir's parents, Sheikh Iqbal and Parveen Ahmed

"You two came in, wearing balaclavas and making a terrible wailing sound. Your attack on him was brutal, savage, callous and cruel.

"You hacked him to death in front of his parents, who fought in vain to save Aamir.

"It was simply good fortune that they were not killed. It was your intention that they should die too. The aggravating features of this case mean the starting point should significantly increase.

"The starting point is 40 years. If you die in jail, few will shed a tear and many will say it will be more than deserved."

During their trial, the court heard Hope and Richards had been paid by a businessman, angry over a collapsed property deal, to kill a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street.

The teenager was set upon on the doorstep of his home

But they went instead to a similar looking red brick, end-of-row house just around the corner in Ninian Road in the leafy suburb of Roath.

Aamir had run down the stairs to answer the door expecting to see his imam, who was due to give him a Koran lesson. Instead, he opened the front door to two masked killers high on heroin.

Hope and Richards wielded daggers over their heads and howled as they set upon the helpless A-level student.

The teenager desperately tried to run back into the house but they chased him and repeatedly lashed out.

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Horsemeat Scandal: 'Criminal Activity' Blamed

Who's In Charge Of Keeping Food Safe?

Updated: 1:38pm UK, Friday 08 February 2013

There are a number of different agencies responsible for food labelling and safety in the UK.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for food standards legislation in England that is principally non-safety, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) monitors standards that are safety based.

Food Standards Agency:

The FSA, a non-ministerial government department, is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food.

This includes food safety and hygiene, labelling for safety and allergies and food law enforcement.

It aims to:

1) make sure foods produced or sold in the UK are safe to eat

2) ensure imported food is safe to eat

3) make sure food producers and caterers give priority to consumer interests in relation to food

4) give consumers the information and understanding they need to make informed choices about where and what they eat

5) make sure regulation is effective, risk-based and proportionate, is clear about the responsibilities of food business operators, and protects consumers and their interests from fraud and other risks

6) ensure enforcement is effective, consistent, risk-based and proportionate and is focused on improving public health.

In the wake of the horsemeat scandal the FSA announced it is demanding a more comprehensive testing programme from food businesses.

Chief executive Catherine Brown said: 'Following our investigations into Findus products, the FSA is now requiring a more robust response from the food industry in order to demonstrate that the food it sells and serves is what it says it is on the label.

"We are demanding that food businesses conduct authenticity tests on all beef products, such as beef burgers, meatballs and lasagne, and provide the results to the FSA. The tests will be for the presence of significant levels of horsemeat."

There are separate FSAs for Scotland, Wales and the Irish Republic.

Defra:

In July 2010 food labelling was transferred from the FSA to Defra.

Food standards legislation sets out specific requirements for the labelling, composition and, in some cases, safety parameters for specific high value foodstuffs which are potentially at risk of being misleadingly substituted with lower quality alternatives.

The legislation makes sure consumers are not misled as to the nature of food products when it is sold to them.

It also makes the playing field level for food producers, so they have established standards they can work to when producing well known or traditional foodstuffs.

Most legislation on food standards is developed in Europe, with full involvement from UK Government officials.

Secondary legislation is then used to either implement the requirements or put in place enforcement powers, depending on the nature of the European legislation

Meat:

For a range of meat products there is legislation setting out specific compositional and labelling requirements.

The rules set out minimum meat content requirements for certain meat products sold using reserved descriptions such as sausages, burgers, corned beef, meat pies, pasties, etc.

In addition, there are very specific labelling rules for certain meat products that look like a cut, joint, slice, portion or carcass of meat.

Where any added water over certain limits as well as any added ingredients of different animal species to the rest of the meat must be mentioned in the name of the food.

Department of Health:

The DoH takes the lead on nutrition labelling police in England.

In October 2012 it announced proposals for front-of-pack nutrition labelling that displays how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories foods contain.

This is colour-coded and shows a guideline daily amount.

The advertising of food is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority.

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HMV Boss Trevor Moore Made Redundant

The boss of HMV is one of the latest 60 people to be made redundant at the collapsed chain, Sky News has learnt.

Trevor Moore, who became the chain's chief executive in September last year, used to be the head of Jessops - which also called in administrators last month.

HMV's administrators Deloitte confirmed a further 60 people had been made redundant at the company's head offices.

It comes after 930 job losses were announced on Thursday, as a result of over planned 60 store closures over the next two months.

Before collapsing last month, HMV - which was founded in 1921 - employed around 4,000 people.

Joint administrator Nick Edwards said: "Following our announcement of the closure of 66 stores yesterday, it has been necessary to consider the head office support required for the reduced store portfolio. 

"As a result of this review, a number of redundancies at the head office have been made. 

"This has been a difficult decision, but a necessary one in restructuring the business. 

"We would like to express our gratitude to staff for their continued support during the administration."

Last month, Mr Moore told Sky News he was "absolutely confident" about the future of the HMV and its place on the high street.

The chain had struggled to compete with increasing competition from online retailers, supermarkets and online streaming websites.

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Malala: Schoolgirl Shot By Taliban Discharged

The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban has been discharged from hospital.

Malala Yousufzai has made a good recovery from a five-hour operation she underwent on her skull and ear at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Medical staff said she was well enough to be discharged as an in-patient following the surgery last weekend.

The hospital said the 15-year-old will now continue her rehabilitation at her family's temporary home in Birmingham and will visit occasionally for outpatient appointments.

It said her family had asked for the media to respect their privacy and dignity at this time.

Islamist gunmen said they attempted to assassinate Malala because she promoted girls' education and "Western thinking".

She was shot on a school bus in northwestern Pakistan on October 9 last year, with the bullet entering just above her left eye and running along her jaw, "grazing" her brain.

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Choirmaster Michael Brewer Guilty Of Sex Abuse

The woman at the centre of sex abuse allegations involving top choirmaster Michael Brewer is thought to have killed herself during the trial, it has been revealed.

Former national youth choir music director Michael Brewer and his ex-wife have been found guilty of indecently assaulting the former music student more than 30 years ago.

The 68-year-old was convicted of sexually abusing the victim in his office at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester when she was aged 14 and 15.

His ex-wife, Kay Brewer, 68, was also convicted of indecently assaulting her when she was an adult at their former family home.

The jury at Manchester Crown Court is still deliberating on charges that Brewer raped the same victim when she was aged 18 and that Mrs Brewer aided and abetted the attack.

Brewer was cleared of one charge of indecently assaulting the victim as a child in his home.

One of the defendants' four daughters audibly gasped in the public gallery when the jury returned its verdict on Kay Brewer.

The sole complainant in the case said she was abused by Brewer as she visited his office. The jury was told she did not consider it sexual abuse at the time and did not make an official complaint.

In a separate incident, Brewer quit Chetham's in 1994 after an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

The court heard she regularly visited his office and recalled he would persuade her to take off her top and bra and he would fondle her.

Giving evidence, Brewer admitted the 1994 affair. The full extent of the relationship was covered up as he resigned.

Brewer went on to become the artistic director of the National Youth Choirs of Britain and has directed the World Youth Choir.

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