Belfast Bonfires Piled High Ahead Of Parades

Huge bonfire towers will be set ablaze in Belfast at midnight as police brace themselves for possible violence surrounding the annual Orange Order parades.

The fire stacks, made with tyres and wooden pallets, are adorned with Union Flags and some are more than 100ft high.

They will be lit as Protestant loyalists begin July 12 celebrations to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne, which saw the Catholic King James defeated by King William of Orange in 1690.

It comes as unionist anger intensifies over a decision to ban an Orange Order parade past a sectarian flash point that has been the scene of serious rioting in recent years.

Orangemen will be allowed to march past the Ardoyne shops on the Crumlin Road in the morning, but the Parades Commission adjudication body has banned them from taking the same route back in the afternoon.

Residents have complained that the annual march causes them huge inconvenience.

Dissident republicans called off a major protest against the parade in the wake of the Commission's decision.

The Orange Order has branded the ruling "ludicrous" but urged supporters not to react with violence.

Matt Baggott, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, has revealed he is drafting in an extra 630 police officers from forces across the UK to help keep the peace on the streets over the Twelfth.

He denied claims that the unprecedented move was an indication he was concerned about serious disorder in places such as Ardoyne but said the scale of this year's Twelfth event was unique.

A total of 550 parades are due to take place throughout Northern Ireland on Friday with 43 deemed to be contentious.

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Stuart Hall Sentence Sent To Court Of Appeal

The Attorney General has referred the sentence of disgraced BBC presenter Stuart Hall to the Court of Appeal for review after complaints it was too lenient.

The 83-year-old former It's A Knockout presenter was jailed for 15 months in June after admitting indecent assaults on 13 girls.

The attacks spanned three decades and involved children aged as young as nine.

More than 150 people came forward to demand that the Attorney General's Office consider Hall's sentence for referral.

An AGO spokeswoman said: "Having carefully reviewed this case, the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve QC MP, has decided to refer the sentence of Stuart Hall to the Court of Appeal for review.

"The case will in due course be heard by three Court of Appeal judges who will decide whether or not the sentence is unduly lenient and whether they should increase the sentence."

The length of the jail term was immediately criticised as "unduly lenient" by shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry, who urged Mr Grieve to look at the matter.

Hall was given an OBE in 2012

"A sentence of 15 months does not appear to reflect the gravity of his crimes, which included a sexual assault on a girl as young as nine," she said after the review was announced.

"Fifteen months is substantially less than the maximum sentence that was available to the judge and it is right that it is being looked at again.

"We need to be confident that the criminal justice system takes child abuse seriously.

"Only that way will victims feel confident that they can come forward."

Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour party, also added to calls for the sentence to be referred.

The Court of Appeal usually lists cases referred for being unduly lenient in about five to seven weeks.

Harrowing details of the sex abuse suffered by Hall's victims were described during his trial at Preston Crown Court.

The prosecution told how a 13-year-old victim was assaulted after they had played tennis, when he is said to have told her: "Sometimes thank you was not enough in words."

He told a 10-year-old girl to cuddle him "like she would one of her teddies" after he had given her steak and champagne, the court heard.

He preyed on a nine-year-old girl while she was in bed.

Another victim, who was 17 at the time, was attacked while dressed as a cheerleader for the filming of It's A Knockout.

Hall initially told police his victims were lying as part of a "vendetta" against people in the public eye.

When arrested last December over three claims of indecent assault, he described the allegations as "nonsense".

He told an officer one of the complainants was "a complete and utter liar".

Hall, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, went on to issue an impassioned on-camera denial of any wrongdoing, describing the allegations against him as "cruel".

More women came forward as a result of publicity and Hall later admitted 14 indecent assaults on 13 girls between 1967 and 1987.

Hall was a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century. Last year he was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours for his services to television and charity.

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Taser Death: Jordan Begley Dies In Manchester

A man who died after police shot him with a Taser has been named locally as Jordan Begley.

The 23-year-old suffered a "medical episode" and died after police fired at him with the stun gun in Manchester.

Police were responding to a disturbance in Beard Road, Gorton, at about 8.15pm where a man was armed with a knife.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: "Officers were dispatched immediately and arrived in eight minutes.

"On arrival, a Taser was discharged to detain a 23-year-old man.

"At this time it is unclear what happened but at some point afterwards the man suffered a medical episode.

"Paramedics performed first aid on the man at the scene before he was taken to hospital where he sadly died."

ACC Shewan said help has been provided for Mr Bagley's family.

"Specially trained family liaison officers are supporting his family during this very difficult time," he said.

A forensic tent was put up in the road

A friend of Mr Bagley's said: "I think he has some problem with his heart."

The friend, who did not want to be named, also said that eight armed response officers attended the family home.

"They turfed his mum outside and then went in and battered him," said the friend.

"There were about eight armed response officers went in.

"He didn't have a knife though. I know for a fact he would not have had a knife.

"There was no need to use a Taser on him."

A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "There's a lot of bad boys around here but Jordan was one of the good guys."

Another neighbour, Kirstie Porter, said she saw Mr Begley being brought out of the house and put into an ambulance.

A police cordon surrounded 10 houses in the street

"Paramedics were working away on the CPR with the doors open," she said.

"Everybody was out in the street, all the neighbours.

"There was police everywhere, loads of vans turned up, there was police all over with guns all over.

"The ambulance was there for about five or 10 minutes and then it drove off.

"His mum and brother were sobbing in the street."

After Mr Begley's death, a police cordon surrounded 10 terraced houses at the end of Beard Road.

A forensic tent was put up in the road within the cordon which was guarded by uniformed officers, a police van and two patrol cars.

Mr Begley's death has been reported to the coroner and to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

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Herbie Hide Faces Arrest After Court No-Show

Former world champion boxer Herbie Hide is facing arrest after he failed to turn up in court on drug charges, saying he was suffering malaria in Nigeria.

The 41-year-old, who is accused of conspiring to supply cocaine, was supposed to be at Norwich Crown Court on Thursday morning.

With his client apparently thousands of miles away, his barrister Michael Clare had to tell the court: "His wife Helen telephoned my instructing solicitor to say he was suffering from malaria and was in a clinic in Nigeria.

"Last night a doctor who said he was treating Mr Hide in Nigeria called and said he would email a medical report this morning.

"No medical report has been forthcoming yet."

Hide, 41, was given permission to leave the country for seven days at an earlier hearing, the court heard.

However, his failure to appear in court means he is now in breach of his bail terms.

Herbie Hide with his WBO belt in 1995

Recorder Maureen Baker issued a warrant saying that Hide had been warned before that he would need a doctor's report if he had to miss court because of illness.

It means Hide faces being arrested, detained and brought before the court at the earliest opportunity.

Hide's co-defendant, Ben Sharman, 22, of Howe Lane, Poringland, Norfolk, admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug, offering to supply a class A drug and offering to supply a class B drug.

Sharman, who was remanded in custody, denied supplying cocaine to Hide.

Hide, of Long Lane, Bawburgh, near Norwich, held the World Boxing Organisation version of the heavyweight title twice.

He was arrested earlier this year after being filmed by undercover reporters from The Sun.

The pair are expected to stand trial in October.

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Shard Protest: Activists Climb London Landmark

Six protesters from Greenpeace have evaded security at London's Shard skyscraper and are attempting to climb to the top.

Officers were called at 4.20am when the activists, who are from the UK, Canada, Sweden, Poland, Holland and Belgium, began to ascend the 72-storey building.

A statement from Greenpeace said the action was part of their campaign against oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and that the activists carried out a safety assessment beforehand. 

The climbers scaling the Shard

The women were able to access the Shard from the roof of nearby London Bridge station, after months of planning and training.

The campaigners said they chose the Shard because of its proximity to oil company Shell's three London offices.

"Shell is leading oil companies' drive into the Arctic, investing billions in its Alaskan and Russian drilling programmes," Greenpeace said in a statement.

The lead climbers are understood to be 'free climbing' (scaling the building without assistance) but are fixing safety ropes as they make their way to the summit. 

The women attracted the attention of police and passers-by

Greenpeace are streaming live video of the attempt from a camera worn by one of the climbers.

A statement on the Greenpeace UK Twitter account said: "Look up London. We're attempting to scale the Shard, Europe's tallest skyscraper."

The women are understood to be planning to unveil protest artwork "that captures the beauty of the Arctic" if they manage to reach the summit, which could take them all day.

One of the climbers is Victoria Henry, 32, a Canadian living in London. 

The group of six women began their climb at 4.20am. Pic: Greenpeace

"We'll try to hang a huge art installation 310m up that will make Shell think twice before sending their rigs into the Arctic," she said.

"It's going to be really hard work, it's going to be nerve-shredding for all of us and we may not succeed, but we're going to do everything we can to pull it off."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We were called at 4.20am today to a group of protesters attempting to climb up the Shard. We are in attendance and monitoring the situation along with British Transport Police."

Climbers Sabine, Sandra, Victo, Ali, Wiola & Liesbeth. Pic: Greenpeace

A Shard spokesman said: "The Shard continues to work with the emergency services and we are in constant discussion with the Greenpeace representatives to ensure the safety of the protesters.

"We have asked them to stop climbing and come back into the building as what they are doing is dangerous. We take security, health and safety of all our occupiers and visitors to the building extremely seriously.

"The protestors have gained access in the early hours of the morning through an adjacent building and what they are doing is extremely dangerous."

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Danny Nightingale Guilty Of Gun Possession

A former special forces sniper has been found guilty of illegally possessing a Glock 9mm pistol and 338 rounds of ammunition.

Sergeant Danny Nightingale was convicted by a five-person court martial board in Bulford, Wiltshire.

The 38-year-old of Crewe, Cheshire, had pleaded not guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm between November 26, 2007 and September 16, 2011.

He also denied possession of the ammunition on or about September 16, 2011.

The items, said to be brought back from Iraq, were recovered by civilian police in September 2011 in the rented house the father-of-two shared with another SAS soldier, known only as Soldier N.

The pistol was found in Sgt Nightingale's wardrobe and the ammunition was under his bed in a plastic box.

Sgt Nightingale, who was serving in Afghanistan at the time, said he had no knowledge of them being in his bedroom and said someone else had put them there.

"I have physical or tangible memory. I have no recollection of receiving the gun," he told the court martial.

He said he was a "diligent" soldier who would not have "randomly" stored ammunition at home.

He had originally pleaded guilty to the two charges in November last year and was sentenced to 18 months' military detention.

Sgt Nightingale appealed against that sentence and it was reduced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for a year.

The Court of Appeal later quashed Sgt Nightingale's original convictions and a fresh trial was ordered.

The ex-SAS sniper was released on bail after Wednesday's verdict.

Sentencing was adjourned pending a Court of Appeal judgement on the sentencing powers of the court.

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Deadly West London Flat Fire 'Suspicious'

The Metropolitan Police have said they are treating a fire which led to the deaths of two people and tore through neighbouring flats in Heston, west London, as suspicious.

Some 58 firefighters and officers were called to the blaze, which broke out above a shop near the junction of Church Road and Heston Road, at around 1.40am.

Firefighters said three people jumped out of the burning building

Three people are believed to have jumped from the second floor of the burning building before fire crews arrived.

A woman found in the street was pronounced dead at the scene, while two men, aged 18 and 37, are being treated for multiple injuries at St Mary's Hospital in central London.

Firefighters found the body of another person during a search of the flat.

Local roads have been closed around the flats

The names of those killed in the fire, which was spotted by police officers during a routine patrol, have not yet been released.

Kudzanayi Taziwa, who was in the building at the time, told Sky News: "I heard a loud bang. When I opened the window, I saw some shattered windows on the ground and I thought there had been a car crash. That's when I realised there was a body on the floor."

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by police and fire officers.

London Fire Brigade sent eight fire engines to the scene

It is thought to have started inside one of the flats before spreading to neighbouring properties, damaging half of the roof of the building and parts of the second floor.

Around 50 people who were evacuated from their homes were taken to a nearby village hall.

The local council is attempting to find emergency accommodation for anyone unable to return.

The deadly fire happened overnight

Road closures are also in place while firefighters investigate the blaze.

Officials from Hounslow borough council are at the scene and police officers from the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command have been contacted.

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BBC Boss 'Shocked' Over Bumper Pay-Offs

BBC bosses are being grilled by MPs over how senior staff were given hefty pay-offs that often breached the corporation's own guidelines.

Director-general Tony Hall and chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten are appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, along with human resources director Lucy Adams and trust member Anthony Fry.

The session in the House of Commons comes after a National Audit Office (NAO) report showed huge payments, of hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases, were made even though executives were not always entitled to the money.

Lord Patten began by telling the group of cross-party MPs that it was "a question of shock and dismay for us" when it emerged that staff had been paid more than they were contractually owed in some cases.

George Entwistle was paid £450,000 for being in the top job for 54 days

Asked why he did not know some pay-offs had gone beyond what was contractually needed, Lord Patten appeared to suggest former director-general Mark Thompson should be called to give evidence.

He told the committee: "If you call a previous director general of the BBC I will be as interested as you are why we didn't know."

Speaking about Mr Thompson's eventual successor George Entwistle, who stood down after a few weeks in the job amid the Jimmy Savile sex scandal, Lord Patten said his pay-off of £450,000 was necessary to prevent a potentially larger bill if they had got bogged down in legal argument.

He said: "We would have fetched up paying more than we in fact had to pay him."

The pay-offs to Mark Byford and Caroline Thompson have been criticised

Lord Patten admitted Mr Entwistle was paid for an extra 20 days work for the BBC to help manage the transition to a new director-general but "as it happened he wasn't required to do anything".

Lord Patten also revealed that the BBC Trust has been pressing for an overall pay reduction since 2009.

He suggested to the MPs that some of the payments had been approved to "get people out of the door" after the BBC decided to cut the number of senior managers it employed.

He agreed with committee member Austin Mitchell MP that the size of some of the payments had discredited the licence fee and said: "It's not only the licence fee payer that has been shocked by what's happened, it's people who work for the BBC".

Roly Keating handed back his pay-off

According to the NAO in the three years up to last December, the BBC spent £25m on severance payments for 150 high-ranking staff.

And since 2005, the corporation has made payments totaling £60m to more than 400 senior managers.

Among the pay-offs criticised was one to former chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, who left last year with £670,000 - more than twice her salary.

And former deputy director-general Mark Byford was paid £949,000 when he left two years ago.

But the former BBC2 controller, Roly Keating, who was given a £375,000 pay-off, returned the money after learning it had not been properly authorised.

Lord Patten says he was shocked at the NAO's findings

Ms Adams, who is paid a salary of £320,000, said Mr Byford had an expectation of a payment in lieu of notice of 12 months because it had become "custom and practice" at the BBC.

She said she raised the possibility of a cap on redundancy payments in 2011, adding: "I was well aware this was unsustainable".

Mr Fry told the committee that some BBC staff were "out to lunch" in regard to how much they expected senior executives to be paid, and some people had got "unreasonable" salaries and pay-offs.

He said members of the trust, which is the governing body of the BBC, were not always included in all decision making.

There were times when "people like me were asked in not particularly pleasant words to get back into our box," he added.

Lord Patten said the BBC would publish the full cost of the Pollard review into a dropped Newsnight investigation which featured allegations of sexual abuse by the late TV presenter Savile next Tuesday.

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Missing Teen Hollie: Body Found In Sea

Police investigating the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl who was last seen in difficulty in the sea have recovered a body.

Hollie McClymont, from Glasgow, was reported missing after going swimming off Barry Island in South Wales on Sunday.

More than 40 specialist officers were deployed in the search for the missing teenager, as well as a helicopter and coastguards.

Chief Inspector Marc Lamerton, of South Wales Police, confirmed that a body had been recovered in Fontygary, a small seaside village three miles southwest of Barry.

"The body has not been formally identified," he said.

"But the family of Hollie McClymont, who was reported missing on Sunday afternoon, have been informed of this development and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time."

Steffan Wiliam, a Barry resident and Plaid Cymru councillor at the local Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: "This is awful, awful news - the nightmare scenario we have all been worrying about.

"If it is confirmed that it is the missing teenager, this is the most awful news we could have had."

Hollie had gone to South Wales with her mother, Sarah, for a holiday.

Police said they chose the area because they have relatives there.

The teenager was seen getting into difficulty at about 2.45pm on Sunday at Whitmore Bay, a popular destination for sun-seekers.

Coastguards said they were not alerted for an hour, something they said they were "dumfounded" by.

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Fake Ecstasy: Seventh Death Linked To Pills

A teenager has died after taking "dangerous" fake ecstasy tablets - the seventh reported death linked to the pills.

Police say the tablets circulating in Scotland contain toxic chemicals with potentially fatal effects.

In the latest case, an 18-year-old woman died in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, on Tuesday morning.

Three male friends aged 18, 21 and 25 were admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Doctors are still treating the 25-year-old.

In recent weeks there has been a rise in the number of people who have died after taking a tablet that they thought was ecstasy. The majority of these were people in their early 20s.

Police in the west of Scotland have identified the pills as green in colour and stamped with a crown logo and say some have been found to contain a dangerous stimulant called Methoxyamphetamine, also known as PMA.

They are also warning of a white pill with the Mitsubishi logo imprinted on it, found to contain the chemicals 5IT or AMT, and a yellow tablet with a star logo.

Officers in the north of Scotland recovered a large quantity of fake ecstasy tablets at a house in Aberdeen on Tuesday. These tablets are also green but with the Heineken logo.

There are also warnings of a white pill with a Mitsubishi logo

Superintendent Grahame Clarke, from Police Scotland's western division, said: "An investigation is under way and our inquiries have so far revealed that the woman, along with three friends, had taken what they thought were ecstasy tablets.

"The tablets were described as green with a Rolex crown logo stamped on them.

"Public warnings have been issued recently in relation to the dangers of taking ecstasy, or indeed tablets being passed off as ecstasy. They are illegal and could contain a cocktail of toxic ingredients.

"We have yet to establish if this particular pill is to blame for the death of this young woman, but the fact that she and her friends took pills described as green and with a Rolex stamp on it causes us real concern.

"The exact contents of the pills are unknown but they could contain dangerous chemicals."

People taking the fake pills can experience symptoms including high temperature, aggression and muscle pains as well as hallucinations and excitability, medics said.

Richard Stevenson, a doctor in emergency medicine at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said: "These symptoms are treatable if help is sought early. I would urge anyone who begins to feel unwell or feels a more intense high than usual after taking any drug which they think is ecstasy or not to seek immediate medical help."

Police are keen to get the warning across ahead of this weekend's T in the Park music festival in Balado, Perth and Kinross.

Drugs "amnesty bins" will be available at the entrance to the campsites where illegal substances can be disposed of without risk of prosecution, police said.

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