Magic Mushroom Depression Trials Stalled

A trial that could lead to the use of magic mushroom treatments for depression has been stalled because of "absurd" regulations restricting the use of illegal drugs in research, it has been claimed.

Study leader Professor David Nutt, who was controversially sacked from his role as the Government's chief drug adviser in 2009, says "archaic" rules obstructing scientific progress should be abolished.

His team at Imperial College London has uncovered evidence that the hallucinogen psilocybin may combat severe depression which resists conventional treatment.

The problem is that psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms" and is banned as a Class A drug.

Although the Medical Research Council has awarded a £550,000 grant for the trial, Professor Nutt said it has not yet been able to proceed.

Speaking ahead of the British Neuroscience Association's Festival of Neuroscience in London, he said: "We're not allowed to go and pick the mushrooms anymore and finding a company to provide this illegal drug in a way that can be prepared for trial use as yet has proved impossible.

Professor Nutt was the Government's chief drug adviser

"We are between a rock and a hard place, and that's very unfortunate because if this is an effective treatment, as it may well be for some people, then they are obviously being denied that possibility."

Under the law, academic researchers are not allowed to manufacture their own Class A drugs and must obtain them from external sources.

Companies that could supply the drugs have to go through "regulatory hoops" to obtain the necessary Home Office licence, Professor Nutt said.

This can take up to a year and triple the cost, he maintained.

Other major hurdles were the EU guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practice, which sets daunting standards for potential suppliers, and rules on storage.

Only four hospitals in the UK currently have a licence to hold psilocybin, making it difficult to roll the drug out as a prospective treatment.

Professor Nutt added: "We are the first people ever to have done a psilocybin study in the UK, but we are still hunting for a company that can manufacture the drug to GMP standards for the clinical trial, even though we've been trying for a year to find one.

"We live in a world of insanity in terms of regulating drugs at present. The whole field is so bogged down by these intransigent regulations, so that even if you have a good idea, you may never get it into the clinic."

Researchers discovered that when healthy volunteers are injected with the drug it shuts down a region of the brain known to be over-active in depression.

Professor Nutt was asked to step down from his role as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in 2009 after claiming that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.

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Four Teenagers Arrested Over Man's Death

Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with the death of a man in a town centre on Saturday night.

They were held after reports of an assault at around 7.30pm in Bridge Street, near its junction with Central Avenue and Ryton Street in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

The 40-year-old victim, yet to be formally identified, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination is due to be conducted to find out the cause of death.

A murder inquiry is now under way, Nottinghamshire Police said.

The four boys - three aged 15 and one aged 16 - remain in custody.

Police asked anyone with information on the assault to come forward.

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Mick Philpott's Derby Home To Be Demolished

Derby City Council plans to demolish the home of Mick and Mairead Philpott, where six children were killed in a fire started by the couple.

Mick Philpott, 56, was jailed for life on Wednesday after being convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of the children in the blaze last May.

His wife Mairead, 32, and friend Paul Mosley received 17-year sentences.

The charred shelll of the Victory Road house has been empty since the fire

The council is attempting to take legal possession of the three-bedroomed semi-detached house, as well as of the adjoining one.

Council leader Paul Bayliss said: "Who would want to live in a house where six children have died and why would you want to live next door to a house where six children have died?"

The council wants residents in the area to decide what to do with the property, and an online petition has called for a memorial garden to be built on the site.

However, Sky's Frazer Maude said many neighbours are opposed to the idea of a memorial.

He said: "They've told me they just want to move on, and they fear a memorial garden could become a tourist attraction."

The case shocked Britain

CCTV footage has emerged showing the Philpotts at a local pub just days after the fire, drinking and enjoying a karaoke session.

Mick Philpott is seen singing Suspicious Minds, the Elvis Presley hit, as he dons Blues Brothers-style sunglasses.

The Philpotts hatched a plan to start the fire at their home in order to frame Lisa Willis, Mick Philpott's former girlfriend who had left the house taking their children with her.

They planned that he should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

In the early hours of May 11, they poured petrol in the hallway of the property to start the blaze.

But the plan went wrong as fire ripped through the council house in Victoria Road.

At one point 11 children lived in the house

Mick Philpott, described as the "driving force" behind the plan, has been ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The Philpotts and Mosley were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter, one for each of the victims: Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13.

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Teen Crime Commissioner In Offensive Tweet Row

Britain's first youth police commissioner has refused to step down after it was revealed she had posted a string of offensive comments on Twitter.

Paris Brown, 17, who took up the post just days ago, wrote homophobic and racist comments on her Twitter account and boasted about getting drunk.

She also appeared to condone violence in a tweet in which she said she was pleased that her brother had thumped someone who "gave his tiny little friend a black eye".

The messages were all posted before she took up the one-year post - which has a £15,000 salary funded by the taxpayer - for Kent Police last week.

The disclosure of the tweets has prompted a Twitter backlash against Miss Brown, while Keith Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has led calls for her to step down from the post.

An emotional Miss Brown after giving interviews about her Twitter posts

Miss Brown said she "sincerely" apologised for the remarks and for any offence caused, but she told Sky News she would not be resigning and felt she could still do the job.

She said: "I don't want to be judged on tweets that were written a long time ago, before I found out I had the job.

"I don't think it should affect my future, my career. I still want to be the voice of young people. I still think I can be.In a way it shows I am - those tweets are horrible obviously - but I am just a normal teenager.

"Everybody's got a regret, maybe it's a tweet, maybe it's a status but out of 4,000 tweets, there's only a few that have been picked up upon."

In her tweets, the teenager, who turned 17 two days ago, refers to immigrants as "illegals" and gay people as "fags".

In one message she admits "Im (sic) either really fun, friendly and inclusive when Im drunk or Im an anti social, racist, sexist, embarrassing a*******. often its the latter."

Another said: "Been drinking since half 1 and riding baby walkers down the hall at work oh my god I have the best job ever haha!!"

In another she wrote: "I really wanna make a batch of hash brownies."

Miss Brown told Sky her tweets contained the language of youth and that "fag" was not a term of homophobic abuse, but actually meant silly or idiotic.

Kent police commissioner Ann Barnes with Miss Brown after the revelations

Speaking on Sky News' Boulton & Co after her appointment on Friday, Miss Brown had said: "Being a young person today you feel like you have got to sort of show that you are growing up, that you are a grown up, even when you are as young as maybe 13 or 14.

"You are growing up at a faster rate in today's time and people might feel I am being patronised or I am being intimidated and that's why the are acting like they are in certain situations."

Miss Brown, whose appointment was to be a trail blazer for other youth commissioners across the country, reports directly to the newly elected Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Ann Barnes.

The police and crime commissioners' roles, which command salaries of up to £100,000, have themselves been controversial, largely because they put inexperienced commissioners in charge of the budget, policing and choosing the chief constable.

Mrs Barnes has said Miss Brown's job was safe.

She said: "I absolutely do not condone the content and language of Paris' tweets. I suspect that many young people go through a phase during which they make silly, often offensive comments and show off on Facebook and Twitter.

"I think that if everyone's future was determined by what they wrote on social networking sites between the ages of 14 and 16 we'd live in a very odd world.

Miss Brown with her 'boss' Ann Barnes announcing her appointment

"I also suspect that thousands of parents would be at best surprised and at worst deeply shocked and ashamed if they looked into the social networking of their children."

Miss Brown, who lives with her parents in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, has a full-time apprenticeship role as an office junior at Kent's Swale Borough Council.

She said she had put off doing A-levels for a year while she undertakes the job as commissioner.

Miss Brown has removed her @vilulabelle account from Twitter following the revelations. She now tweets under an official account.

Reports of her deleted remarks have attracted criticism from many Twitter users, including Alex Cahill, who wrote: "Well Paris Brown (@vilulabelle) is a shining example of young people ..."

Paul Davies wrote: "God help us and our police!!!"

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Jockey Ryan Mania Airlifted To Hospital

Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania has been airlifted to hospital after he suffered a fall in a race this afternoon.

Mania was conscious.

He fell a day after winning on his first ride in the Grand National.

More follows...

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Raft Of Tax Reforms Come Into Effect In UK

Two million people could be removed from paying income tax altogether from today as a raft of reforms come into effect.

Among the changes are a rise in the personal allowance which will mean no one pays any tax until they earn more than £9,440.

The threshold for the higher rate of tax - above which people pay tax at 40% - will also drop from £34,370 to £32,010, excluding the personal allowance.

At the same time the top rate of income tax falls in 2013/14 from 50% to 45% for those whose taxable income exceeds £150,000.

And the start of the new financial year also signals a rise in basic state pension to £110.15 per week, an increase of 2.5%.

But there will be a freeze on the level of income pensioners can receive before they have to pay tax - the so-called "granny tax".

The tax allowance for people aged 65 and older is set at £10,500.

Last week, housing benefit was cut for council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need - dubbed the "bedroom tax".

Council tenants have money cut if they have more bedrooms than they need

The annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will also be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

But Labour claims UK households will be worse off.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: "The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies shows very clearly that, since 2010, the average family is £890 worse off, a one-earner family where the mum or dad stays at home with children is £3,900 worse off.

"The reason is that the increase in the personal allowance over the last couple of years was completely outweighed by higher VAT, the freeze on child benefit and the cuts to tax credits.

"Is this the day to cut taxes for millionaires, for the richest people in our society when everyone else is worse off and struggling? It's completely the wrong priorities. It suggests that David Cameron and George Osborne are completely out of touch with the realities of the lives of families in our country."

Unite union's General Secretary Len McCluskey was equally scathing about the changes. He said: "Millionaires will be raising a glass of champagne to George Osborne this weekend as he slashes the incomes of people struggling to get by to give handouts to the rich.

"This is not the way to recover our failing economy. Creating real jobs and paying decent wages, including a one pound increase on the minimum wage, will bring down the benefits bill and get people spending again."

The Prime Minister took to Twitter to highlight the increase in the personal tax allowance. He wrote: "From today 24 million people will be paying £600 less income tax than in 2010."

Mr Cameron also included a link to a new Conservative poster outlining the change with the headline "Help for Hardworking People".

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Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

Police are investigating the death of a young documentary maker who was sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video the night before his week of sleeping rough began, Mr Halpin said the project was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme, to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the effect of changes to Britain's welfare system this month.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of this aspiring young journalist. Our thoughts are with his family."

Mr Halpin's friend of 10 years, Daniel Lake, said: "I was just talking to Lee on Saturday, having some banter talking about football and how excited he was about going out filming.

"Lee was a great guy, a character and was well known. His big things were creative writing and poetry ... He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

Friends and supporters have left tributes on the Save Newcastle Libraries website, to which he was a contributor.

One said: "He was a credit to the North East and all he did was give."

Northumbria Police have arrested two men in connection with the death.

The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Grand National: Hopes For A Positive Story

On the one day the world tunes in to jump racing, the sport itself is holding its breath.

Worldwide, 600 million people watch the Grand National on the year's biggest day for betting in Britain. But all at Aintree know any further equine deaths this afternoon, to add to four in the last two Nationals, would raise serious questions about its future.

It comes after a horse died in the run up to this year's event on Friday.

They have made changes here.

Most fences now have more horse-friendly plastic inner cores.

The start has been moved 90 yards away from the noisy grandstands, in the hope of a calmer atmosphere. That also means a shorter run to the first fence, giving less time to build up foolhardy early speed.

The authorities have talked to senior jockeys, urging them not to set a breakneck pace from the start.

But as even Jamie Stier from the British Horseracing Authority acknowledged on Sky News on Friday, it is unreasonable to expect a jockey not to be wound-up at the start of "this iconic race".

It always delivers a storyline, even if last year's – the closest-ever finish – was partly buried by headlines about fatalities.

This year's story could be the first female winning jockey. Katie Walsh on Seabass – third 12 months ago – could start favourite on the horse trained by her father Ted.

So could Ted's other horse Colbert Station, in the hands of champion jockey Tony McCoy. And so could Katie's brother Ruby on On His Own, bidding for his third National victory.

And if the siblings should be fighting out the finish, it'll be dog-eat-dog with no quarter given.

There's also another possible line for the fairer sex. Much-fancied Teaforthree is trained by Rebecca Curtis, 30 years after the first success for Jenny Pitman – the only other woman to train the winner of the world's greatest steeplechase.

Teaforthree likes his own bed and is travelling today from Pembrokeshire. There hasn't been a Welsh winner since 1905.

Then again, it's only four years since Mon Mome won at 100-1. Might Tarquinius, for example, or Major Malarkey, triumph at a similar price today? Stranger things have happened – and something strange always does happen.

That's why we always watch, and that's why all will hope that all 40 horses are safely in their beds – in Wales or wherever – tonight.

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London Shooting: Two Men Charged With Murder

Two men have appeared in court accused of shooting a teenager dead.

Natnael Tesfay, 20, and Christopher Aluma, 18, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London charged with the murder of Mohammed Hussein, 19.

They are accused of shooting Mr Hussein in Edmonton, north London around 9.45pm on Easter Monday.

Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Bounces Road.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hussein died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Tesfay and Aluma, both of no fixed abode, spoke only to confirm their personal details during the short court appearance.

They were both remanded in custody before a bail hearing at the Old Bailey on April 9.

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Devon House Fire: Teens Die, Boy In Hospital

Two teenagers have died and a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital following a house fire in Devon.

Police said the 17-year-old girl and 18-year-old man died from injuries sustained in the blaze at a property in Lee Close in Honiton.

The boy, aged three, remains in the specialist Frenchay Hospital.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with family at this time and the investigation to establish the cause of the fire is ongoing. At this time the police are not treating the matter as suspicious."

Emergency services were alerted at around 7.50am on Friday.

A total of eight people were in the house when the fire broke out - seven members of a family and another person.

Five were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, including a six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s, who were treated for smoke inhalation.

Three - the two teenagers and three-year-old - were flown by air ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

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