Winchester Prison: Inspectors Slam Conditions

Two severely disabled prisoners were locked up in a cell for nearly 24 hours a day and had not showered for months, an inspection has found.

The pair were jailed in the cell at HMP Winchester - designed for just one person - and relied on other prisoners to take them their meals, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.

Staff were unaware that the two older and disabled prisoners could not use the shower on their landing as it was not adapted accordingly.

The men had a small window in their cell that was painted over so they had to choose between keeping out the cold or shutting out the light, the report added.

Elsewhere, one third of the 680 prisoners told inspectors illegal drugs were "easily available", while one in 10 developed a drug habit within the jail walls.

The category B prison, partly built in the 19th century, has deteriorated sharply and is now of serious concern, Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said.

"Until shortly before the inspection, HMP Winchester was neglected and drifting," Mr Hardwick said.

"There had been pockets of good practice and, although many staff did their best, their efforts were often haphazard, inconsistent and badly coordinated."

In a damning report, the inspectorate said that more than half of prisoners had felt unsafe at some time, while there was insufficient action to tackle violence.

Mr Hardwick said a new governor was appointed shortly before the inspection.

He said: "The new leadership was aware of many of the problems and we saw early signs of a determined effort to tackle them.

"But the prison is just at the start of the process of putting things right again, and it will be a long, hard task to do so."

National Offender Management Service chief executive Michael Spurr said: "As the chief inspector acknowledges, the new governor has begun to tackle the deficiencies and I am confident that these will be properly addressed and rectified."

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Missing Children Policy 'Is Sex Abuse Risk'

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

A children's charity has accused police chiefs of putting vulnerable children at risk of sex abuse with a new definition of "missing persons".

Chief constables say a new two-tier definition will give better protection to children and vulnerable adults.

Full investigations will still be launched into "missing" cases, but specialist officers will record and monitor only those who regularly go "absent" and explore the reasons why.

From next month the new approach will be applied by all police forces to the 327,000 people reported missing each year, two-thirds of whom are children.

But David Tucker, of the NSPCC, said: "We are very concerned that the new definition of 'missing persons' will put vulnerable children at risk of being groomed and sexually exploited. The length of time a child goes missing is irrelevant because they can fall into the clutches of abusers very quickly.

"Children go missing for a variety of reasons; they may be bullied, abused or are generally unhappy. But whatever the reason, this problem must be taken seriously.

"We expect all professionals including the police to invest the right amount of time and take the necessary action to protect all children as soon as they go missing."

Until now all missing person calls were treated the same, with response officers called out to investigate until the person was located.

Police call handlers will now put calls into one of two categories: missing or absent.

The new definition of "missing" will be: "Not at the place they are expected to be, but the circumstances are out of character or the context suggests they may be subject of a crime or at risk of harm to themselves or others."

The definition of "absent" will be: "Not at a place where they are expected or required to be."

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) hopes the new policy will cut bureaucracy and stop officers from being seen as 'taxi drivers' sent to collect runaway children who regularly abscond.

Chief Constable Pat Geenty said: "The police are often the first agency to take a missing person report and our aim is to ensure we get the best possible response to those most at risk of harm.

"This means identifying these cases early so that policing resources go where they are most needed. We need to move beyond a one-size-fits-all response".

The new policy will be introduced nationally in April after being piloted in three police forces as part of the joint Home Office and Acpo Reducing Bureaucracy programme.

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David Hockney Aide Death Cause Unknown

A post-mortem has shown "no obvious natural causes" for the death of David Hockney's personal assistant, police have said.

Dominic Elliott died in hospital on Sunday morning after he was taken ill at the world-famous artist's house in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, on Saturday.

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "A post-mortem was carried out on the body of 23-year-old Dominic Elliott yesterday at Hull Royal Infirmary mortuary and it showed no obvious natural causes for his death.

"Further tests will now be carried out, the results of which will not be known for some weeks.

"Mr Elliott's family has been fully updated by Humberside Police."

Mr Hockney's home in Bridlington, East Yorkshire

Officers are continuing to investigate how Mr Elliott became ill before he was taken to Scarborough Hospital by a friend.

Keen sportsman Mr Elliott worked as a personal assistant to the 75-year-old artist, setting up equipment and helping in his studio.

He was the subject of more than one Hockney portrait.

Humberside Police said earlier this week that the circumstances of his death were "not clear" but there was no sign of violence.

Hockney, who is not thought to be the friend who drove Mr Elliott to hospital, is said to be extremely upset by the death.

The Bradford-born painter is sometimes referred to as Britain's greatest living artist and is one of the most influential cultural figures of the last 50 years.

His famous works include A Bigger Splash and the portrait Mr And Mrs Clark And Percy.

As well as his detached house near the seafront in Bridlington, Hockney has homes in London and Los Angeles.

Mr Elliott was a well-known local sportsman and tributes have been paid to him by team-mates at Bridlington Rugby Club and Driffield Hockey Club.

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Napalm Death Gig Cancelled Over Museum Fears

A performance by "grindcore" band Napalm Death has been cancelled by the V&A after fears the deafening noise could cause the historic museum to crumble.

The metal-punk act had been due to play a one-off show on Friday after teaming up with a ceramic artist who created a sound system which was designed to disintegrate during the gig.

But the London museum called off the free event, called Bustleholm, after a safety check highlighted a risk that the gallery itself could deteriorate.

Frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway

There were also concerns that visitors could potentially be injured as a result of the gig by the Birmingham band, who released debut album Scum in 1987.

The museum said: "This was due to take place in the Europe Galleries, which are currently being refurbished, and a further safety inspection has revealed concerns that the high level of decibels generated by the concert would damage the historic fabric of the building.

"The V&A is committed to an exciting programme of exhibitions and events but the safety of our visitors and building remains our priority at all times."

The museum's resident artist Keith Harrison had created three ceramic sound systems based on the tiles used on the tower blocks of the Bustleholm Mill estate in West Bromwich, where he grew up.

Prior to the show, Napalm Death's frontman, Mark "Barney" Greenway, had said: "Sound as a weapon - or a weapon of change - is a very interesting concept and I think that the whole process of our sound gradually degrading clay sculptures is captivating."

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Omagh Bombing: Two Blamed By Civil Court

Two men have been found liable for the Omagh bombing following a landmark civil action at Belfast High Court.

Republicans Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were implicated for the Northern Ireland atrocity after the court action taken by relatives of some of the victims.

Murphy and Daly had been ordered to face a retrial after they successfully appealed a finding of liability against them in the original case in Belfast High Court.

But their second trial delivered the same outcome in the same court, with judge Mr Justice John Gillen ruling the men were responsible for the 1998 Real IRA atrocity.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died when the dissident republican car bomb ripped through the Co Tyrone market town on August 15, 1998. More than 200 were injured in the blast.

Murphy was tried and convicted in the Irish criminal courts but was released after it was revealed that the Gardaí forged interview notes used in the case.

Because no-one was successfully convicted of the bombing, in 2009 some of the bereaved families took out a civil case against four people accused of the attack.

Murphy, a builder and publican from Dundalk, Co Louth, and Daly, a bricklayer from Cullaville, Co Monaghan, along with Real IRA chief Michael McKevitt and Co Louth republican Liam Campbell were held responsible.

The men were ordered to pay £1.6m in damages.

McKevitt, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the Irish Republic for directing terrorism, and Campbell, who recently successfully fought extradition proceedings to Lithuania on arms smuggling charges, failed in their bids to overturn the Omagh civil judgment.

They are now seeking to have their case heard in the European Court of Human Rights.

Murphy and Daly's successfully appealed but both men were ordered to face another trial. The retrial started in January and finished last month, with Mr Justice Gillen delivering his reserved judgment today, confirming the men were responsible.

The bombing killed people from a variety of different backgrounds including Protestants, Catholics, a Mormon teenager, five other teenagers, six children, a woman pregnant with twins and several tourists.

The nature of the bombing - described as Northern Ireland's worst terrorist attack - created a huge international outcry and added to the impetus of the peace process.

More follows...

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Weather: No Sign Of Spring Amid More Snow

Snow has covered the north of the UK overnight as persistently cold weather keeps an unusual grip on March.

Heavy snow - up to 10cm across lowlands and 25cm on higher ground - has fallen across Scotland, with temperatures hovering around a bitter three degrees.

The Met Office has issued amber alerts for many parts of Scotland, while gale force winds are also forecast.

Driving conditions have been made difficult and more than 100 schools have closed. Aberdeenshire and the Borders are among the worst hit areas.

Sky News Weather Presenter Isobel Lang warned people to prepare for disruption.

Several inches of snow have fallen in Scotland

She said: "Heavy snow and strong winds will bring travel disruption today with the worst of the conditions likely to be across central and eastern Scotland, northeast England and Northern Ireland.

"Bitter east winds will blow the snow around causing drifting and blizzard conditions."

The outlook for the rest of the UK also looks typically unseasonal.

Lang said: "Heavy showers in other parts of Britain could also bring hail, sleet or snow, especially later today and tonight."

Meanwhile, the whole country should be braced for further snow storms and cold wet weather throughout the week - and beyond.

"Tomorrow may start with some snow in the morning, perhaps disruptive in places, but it should turn drier during the day.

"Concerns increase again, though, later in the week as wet and windy weather, preceded by snow, moves in across the southwest and spreads north across the country.

"Although rainfall totals may be enough to cause some problems across the south and southwest, it is likely to be snow that is most disruptive, especially across central and northern parts," Lang said.

The latest snowy spell continues a cold month across the UK which has brought an unwelcome delay to springtime weather.

Forecasters said that while snow was not uncommon in March, the persistent dumpings and low temperatures were unusual.

It is too early to predict if it will be a white Easter or not, but Lang warned that the run-up looked "unsettled and unspring-like".

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Joss Stone Trial: Star Had No Home Security

Singer Joss Stone has described how her front door was rarely locked at a time when two men were allegedly plotting to rob and kill her.

She was speaking at the trial of Junior Bradshaw and Kevin Liverpool who deny they planned to murder the star and dump her in a river in June 2011.

The 25-year-old told Exeter Crown Court she became aware of the plot only when she was visited by the police at her mid-Devon home.

She said: "Apart from someone (police) coming around to say someone is trying to kill me, it was a really nice day."

Speaking about the lack of security at her home, she said: "I've lived in Devon for a long time and nobody really shuts their door."

On Monday the jury was told a metre-long samurai sword, knives, hammers, black bags and gaffer tape were discovered in the defendants' Fiat Punto when they were arrested.

A crossbow and BB gun were found at their home in the Longsight area of Manchester.

Handwritten notes that were also discovered talked of Stone's presence at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and referred to the singer and the Queen as "she devils".

The pair deny the charges against them

Describing the security arrangements at her home at the time of the alleged plot, Stone - who was referred to in court by her real name, Jocelyn Stoker - said: "I had an alarm but I did not really turn it on very much.

"I didn't really have a lock on my door ... But I do now."

She also agreed that the property in Ashill, accessed by narrow lanes, was an "open house" for family, friends and her then-boyfriend.

Wearing a white blouse and a black skirt, the singer said: "At the time I had a gate. To get in, they (visitors) would just open the gate, drive in with their car, get up to another (wooden) gate, shut the gate hopefully so the dogs don't get out, then say hello."

Stone's tour diary, charting dates when she was in and out of the country including at the time of the alleged plot, was shown in court.

The record showed the singer was "home" from June 9-20.

The trial continues.

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Bill Roache: Soap Star Sorry Over Remarks

Coronation Street actor Bill Roache has said he is "very sorry for any offence caused" after he seemingly claimed victims of sexual abuse are being punished for their behaviour in "previous lives".

The star, who has played Ken Barlow in the ITV soap for more than 50 years, was criticised for the controversial remarks he made to a New Zealand television station.

Speaking to TVNZ, he said: "If you accept that you are pure love ... and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you."

He was then pressed by reporter Garth Bray, who asked: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves. Is that what you're saying?"

The 80-year-old replied: "No, not quite, but then yes I am. Everything that happens to us is the result of what we have been in previous lives."

The comments echo those of Glenn Hoddle who was sacked as England's football manager in 1999 after he was quoted as appearing to suggest disabled people were paying for sins committed in previous lives.

Glenn Hoddle appeared to say disabled people were paying for previous sins

Roache was later asked by Sky News correspondent Becky Johnson: "You appear to have suggested some victims may be paying for things they did in a past life. Is that how you feel?"

The star replied: "No I would not go along and say things like that. I'm not saying that. In this situation where we can only talk about the law. I'm not going to talk about victims or life.

"Life is what we make it. We do come into life to learn from certain experiences and broadly some of the major experiences we have we have asked to go through. This is my understanding of life."

He added: "If you're going to pin me down and start saying 'all victims deserve what they're getting'. No I am not saying that at all."

Roache then issued his apology in a statement, saying: "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments.

"I would never say that victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for the abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood in this way.

"I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia."

His original remarks to TVNZ were condemned by the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), which said his comments were an insult to abuse victims.

Michael Le Vell pictured arriving at court

Dr Jon Bird, from NAPAC, condemned Roache's "hippy-dippy" spiritualist beliefs, saying child sex abuse left people with horrific physical and mental scars.

Roache's co-star of 30 years, Michael Le Vell, has been suspended from the ITV soap after he was charged with 19 child sex offences.

Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, appeared in court last month and was bailed until his next appearance in the dock at Manchester Crown Court. Le Vell has denied any wrongdoing.

During his interview with TVNZ, Roache said: "Everyone's innocent until they're proven guilty."

He described paedophilia as "absolutely horrendous" but added: "There's a fringe here ... particularly pop stars who have these groupies, these girls, who are sexually active and sexually mature.

"They don't ask for their birth certificate and they don't know what age they may be. They're certainly not grooming them and exploiting them but they can be caught in this trap."

He added: "These people are instantly stigmatised. Some will be innocent and some will not, but until such time as (any offence) is proven, there should be anonymity for both.

"If someone has done something wrong, the law should take its course. But whether they're proven guilty or not, we should never be judgemental about anyone. We shouldn't go round condemning. We should be forgiving about everything."

Speaking to Sky News, Roache said: "I'm not blaming anybody for anything but things were different back in the 1970s. People were more tactile.

"I think it's probably unfair to judge too harshly today on things that were done 20 or 30 years ago. There should be a greater understanding that things were different in those days."

He added: "I'm not excusing inappropriate and insensitive behaviour to women. I think women are wonderful and they should be treated with respect."

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Hinkley Point Nuclear Plant Given Go-Ahead

A new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset has moved a step closer after Energy Secretary Ed Davey granted planning permission.

The proposed development of Hinkley Point C by French energy company EDF is a boost for the nuclear industry following a series of setbacks in plans to construct a new fleet of reactors in the UK, which ministers say are needed to cut carbon and keep the lights on.

The deal is expected to be rubber-stamped within weeks when EDF and the Government secure agreement on decommissioning the price the company will be paid for the electricity it generates.

Mr Davey told Sky News there would be no public subsidy and the cost would be "affordable for consumers and businesses."

Once up and running it is anticipated that the plant's two reactors will generate enough electricity to provide 7% of the country's needs, or power five million homes.

The minister told the Commons that affordable new nuclear would play a "crucial role" in ensuring secure, diverse supplies of energy in the UK and decarbonising the electricity sector and the economy.

He also confirmed that EDF had now secured the majority of consents it needed to build and operate the plant and that he expected to announce shortly a deal on the so-called 'strike' price.

Under electricity market reforms, low-carbon power such as nuclear reactors and offshore wind farms will have long-term contracts with a guaranteed price for their electricity, to give investors certainty to invest in projects with high capital costs.

It has been reported that the costs of the new power station would run to around £14bn and the development would create up to 25,000 jobs during construction and 900 permanent positions once in operation.

But environmental groups reacted angrily to the news and raised questions about dealing with the waste.

Greenpeace executive director John Sauven claimed Hinkley Point C failed the test on economic, consumer, environmental and arguably even legal grounds.

He said: "It will lock a generation of consumers into higher energy bills, via a strike price that's expected to be double the current price of electricity, and it will distort energy policy by displacing newer, cleaner, cheaper technologies.

"Giving it the green light when there is no credible plan for dealing with the waste could also be in breach of the law," he warned.

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Fire Deaths: Accused 'Can't Rule Out Husband'

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

A woman accused of killing her six children in a fire at the family home in Derby says she does not know if her husband was responsible and she could not rule anyone out.

Speaking at Nottingham Crown Court, Mairead Philpott, 31, said: "I don't know if he is capable of it. I don't know if he has done it or not."

She was asked under cross-examination whether it was possible that Mick Philpott, 56, got up in the night and set the fire without her knowledge.

She told the court: "I don't know, I was asleep. I can't rule out anybody."

Richard Latham QC for the prosecution said to her: "Are you saying there is a possibility your husband set this fire behind your back?"

"I honesty, don't know," she replied.

She was asked about covert police recording made after the blaze.

In one passage of the recordings Mick Philpott is heard to say: "Don't say nothing now, don't say nothing."

The fire claimed the lives of six siblings

In another section he said: "Don't worry we will walk through it, I promise you. Unless you want me to blab about it."

The prosecution allege that they were talking about a plot to start the fire.

Mairead Philpott claims it was about not revealing details of their unconventional sex life, which they feared would get into the press.

Mr Latham said: "This is not about sex. It's about the allegation of killing your children." This was denied by Mrs Philpott.

Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, perished in the fire last May.

Duwayne, 13, died in Birmingham Children's Hospital days later.

On Monday, Mairead Philpott denied starting the fire at her home in Victory Road and said there was no plan to start one with Mick and co-accused Paul Mosley, 46.

The Philpotts and Mosley are on trial for the manslaughter of the Philpotts' six children. All three deny the charges.

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