Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 Desember 2014 | 22.11
A man has appeared in court accusing of murdering a community safety campaigner who was stabbed to death during the morning rush hour.
Trevor Gibbon, 48, of Harrow, northwest London, was remanded in custody by magistrates in Hendon.
He held on to glass at the front of the dock and looked around the court during the brief hearing.
Alison Morrison - Gibbon's neighbour - was killed on her way to work on Thursday.
Police were called to the attack in Alexandra Avenue at 7.47am.
Ms Morrison was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, where she died from her injuries.
A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds.
Harrow Council leader David Perry said: "Alison Morrison was passionately committed to creating a safer Harrow through her work with the Harrow Safer Neighbourhood Board and as a community champion, and it is terrible news that she has lost her life in this violent way in a borough she cared so much about.
"Alison's colleagues on the Safer Neighbourhood Board are absolutely shattered by this news, as are the staff of Harrow Council. Alison was a key member of the board and a tireless advocate of its work.
"We will do whatever we can to help the police. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Alison's family."
Ms Morrison's family said in a statement: "Alison was an inspiration, a warm and loving person who will be deeply missed by her husband and son. Her devastating loss as a result of this senseless attack is also felt by all the family, local community and all who knew her."
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an off-duty police constable was beaten to death in Liverpool.
Neil Doyle was attacked by a group of men during a Christmas night out with colleagues from Merseyside Police.
The 36-year-old got married in July and was due to go on honeymoon next month.
Two other off-duty officers suffered facial injuries in the attack, which took place near the Aloha nightclub in Colquitt Street at around 3.15am on Friday.
Officers are investigating the possibility they were targeted because of their jobs.
The 28-year-old suspect walked into a police station on Friday evening and is being interviewed by detectives.
Police at the scene of the killing in Liverpool
Mr Doyle, who joined the force in May 2004, was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital, but died a short time later.
A post-mortem examination concluded he died from fatal bleeding around the brain, consistent with an assault.
Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy described the investigation as being at a "very early stage".
He said: "On behalf of everybody connected with Merseyside Police I extend our heartfelt and sincere condolences to his wife Sarah and the rest of his family.
"Constable Doyle was enjoying a Christmas night out with his work colleagues.
"At around 3.15am Neil left the Peacock bar and walked with two colleagues along Colquitt Street in the city centre.
"The three officers were subjected to an apparently unprovoked and vicious attack by a group of males."
Mr Doyle had received a commendation for his actions in arresting three men after a violent robbery.
Peter Singleton, chairman of Merseyside Police Federation, said the police community was "devastated" by his killing.
"He exemplified the British bobby. He was a solid, good, hard-working, honest copper," he said.
The two other officers required hospital treatment. One suffered a fractured cheekbone.
Flood victims in Somerset say they are facing insurance quotes of tens of thousands of pounds to protect their homes from future flooding.
Sky News has seen one renewal quote of almost £100,000 for one year. That falls to just under £500 for the year if flood cover is removed.
The owners did not want to speak on camera but told Sky their property in Moorland would only cost around £120,000 to rebuild from scratch.
Neighbour Sally Vize has been told she won't be able to move back into her home until March - 13 months after the winter storms caused £120,000 worth of damage.
Sally Vize's home suffered £120,000 worth of damage
She is due to renew her insurance in the next few months, but is extremely concerned she won't be able to afford the quote.
"I think someone said £12,000 if they want to insure for floods again, who can afford that? It's ridiculous, and I think it's morally wrong," she said.
Video:Home Ruined By Floods
One in six homes in England are at risk of flooding and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates between 300,000 and 500,000 UK households could struggle to obtain affordably priced flood insurance.
From next summer, in conjunction with the Government, the ABI is hoping to launch its Flood Re scheme which will allow insurers to pass the flood risk element of a home insurance policy into a fund that will pay any subsequent flood claim.
Mark Shepherd, from the ABI, explained: "In certain parts of the country this is becoming a much bigger problem and that's why we are working with the Government to introduce Flood Re, which in the future will ensure those homes at the highest flood risk will still be able to get affordable flood insurance."
Video:Flood Emergency Aid Box
Since the flooding began last Christmas, a group called the Somerset Emergency Volunteers have been helping those in need of immediate help.
They have filled a warehouse with donations including food, clothes, furniture and household goods to allow people to begin replacing what they have lost.
They are also providing 400 homes with emergency boxes and sandbags so they are prepared for any repeat.
Video:Flood Aid Supplies Stockpiled
"Moorland and Fordgate were only given six sandbags by the council when it was flooded - three for the front door, three for the back," said assistant operations manager Sadie Forster.
"We're giving them 36 reusable sandbags."
The Environment Agency has now dredged 8km of river in Somerset, with the Government promising to spend £4.2m on flood defences in the county.
A teenage attempted murder suspect who was mistakenly released from jail has been recaptured by police.
Jordan Francois, 18, was on remand from Wandsworth Prison in southwest London.
A £10,000 reward was being offered by the Metropolitan Police for information which led to his arrest. Scotland Yard had said he was "unlawfully at large".
Francois was known to have ties to north London, and was arrested in Edmonton at 5.35am on Saturday morning.
The Prison Service has now confirmed it will be "formally investigating" the incident.
A spokesman added: "Releases in error are a very rare but regrettable occurrence. The number of incidents have fallen significantly in recent years with figures down by a quarter compared to 2009/10 but every incident is taken extremely seriously and we are not complacent."
Women will "bear the brunt" of austerity measures if the Conservatives win the General Election, Labour has warned.
Analysis commissioned by the Labour Party from the independent House of Commons Library showed that freezing benefits and tax credits would disproportionately affect women.
It follows research earlier in the year that suggested that tax changes since 2010 have taken six times more from women than from men.
In his conference speech, the Chancellor set out plans to cut £3.2bn off the welfare bill by freezing many working-age benefits for two years from 2015.
The freeze will hit an estimated 10 million households and be a cut in real terms of around £320 to welfare payments including jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, income support and tax credits.
Labour said the House of Commons Library analysis showed 75% of the overall savings would come from women – rising to 80% of the savings from freezing tax credits.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "These new figures show how, once again, women will bear the brunt of David Cameron and George Osborne's choices.
"This follows four years of Budgets which have taken six times more from women than men – even though women earn less than men.
"Working people are already worse off under this Government. If the Tories win next year, three million working people face being made worse off because their tax credits will be cut again.
"This Strivers' Tax will cost a one earner family earning £25,000, with two children, almost £500 a year."
Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey defended the Government's record, telling Sky News: "You have got record rates of women in work, record number of women into work.
"You've also seen the pay gender gap fall to the smallest it's ever been.
"We've taken three million people out of the personal allowance threshold. Most of them are women.
"We've bought into extra support for childcare, as well free school meals for infants, so actually this Government has done a considerable amount to help women in the workplace and I'm proud of that record."
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 Desember 2014 | 22.12
Nigel Farage has said he feels sorry for a UKIP candidate who was forced to step down after being recorded using derogatory terms about homosexuals and Chinese people.
The politician described Kerry Smith, a parliamentary hopeful in one of UKIP's strongest constituencies, as a "rough diamond" who fell victim to London snobbery over colloquial language.
Mr Smith was taped in a phone call where he labelled gay party members as "poofters" and referred to someone as a "Chinky bird". The Essex councillor also joked about embarking on a "peasant hunt" by shooting people in Chigwell.
Even though the UKIP leader insisted his former colleague did not use the terms maliciously, he conceded Mr Smith was "not suitable to be a parliamentary candidate" for South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Mr Smith is 'not suitable' to stand as a parliamentary hopeful, Farage said
In an LBC interview, Mr Farage said: "I'm a bit sad, because Kerry Smith is a rough diamond. He's a council house boy from the East End of London, left school early and talks and speaks in a way that a lot of people from that background do.
"Even the 'poofter' comment - the next sentence he was saying how good a candidate was, and the fact he was gay would be an asset to the party.
Video:Nigel Farage: The Highs And Lows
"Kerry himself said that he used language that Del Boy used to use on Only Fools and Horses, and nobody objected then."
Mr Farage also claimed that "a lot of people" would use the word "Chinky", yet stressed he had never used the term himself.
Pressed on the issue, he asked: "If you and your mates are going out for a Chinese, what would you say you were going for?"
Mr Smith stood down as a parliamentary candidate earlier in December, and has since resigned as a UKIP member.
In light of the controversy, Mr Farage conceded UKIP does "have people who do things and say things that are wrong".
However, he insisted they only amounted to a small proportion of UKIP candidates, adding: "So do the other parties as well. We do not have a monopoly on stupidity, I promise you."
Video:May - Miliband: Farage 'Not Racist'
Mr Farage himself recently made headlines after appearing to blame immigration for traffic on the M4. During the interview, he claimed this remark was intended as a joke.
"I've learnt something. Never joke. There's no point, is there? No one's got a sense of humour anymore," he added.
John Healey, a Labour MP, said: "It tells you all you need to know about Nigel Farage: that he is defending words which the vast majority of people find offensive, while also suggesting that people living in council housing are racist.
"It's more proof that UKIP is a nasty party with no understanding of, and nothing to offer to, the people they want to represent. They are completely out of touch with modern Britain."
A jealous pensioner who organised a revenge acid attack on his teenage ex-girlfriend has been jailed for 18 years.
Mohammed Rafiq, 80, hatched a plan to blame an innocent man before organising the pre-planned assault on Vikki Horsman, which also involved a newly released prisoner and another offender.
Rafiq, of Cheshire Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, and co-defendants Steven Holmes and Shannon Heaps, were found guilty last week of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Judge Nicholas Webb described the attack in Tividale, West Midlands, as a "wicked" act with grave consequences.
Holmes, 25, of Allan Close, Smethwick, was jailed for 14 years after Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how he was paid just £50 to throw acid into Miss Horsman's face.
Heaps, 23, of Queens Avenue, Tividale, was given a 12-year custodial sentence for his role in pointing out the property where the doorstep attack took place.
Rafiq showed no sign of emotion in the dock as Judge Webb described him as being old enough to be his victim's great-grandfather.
Steven Holmes and Shannon Heaps
Miss Horsman, who was 19 at the time of the attack, was in court as the men were sentenced.
The care worker, who is now 20, was sprayed with a corrosive liquid after answering the door to Holmes on 15 April this year, and later spent five days in intensive care after suffering burns to her face, neck and body.
Ms Horsman was left badly scarred and was lucky not to be blinded.
Passing sentence, Judge Nicholas Webb told Rafiq, Heaps and Holmes: "Acid attacks are not uncommon in certain parts of the world.
"Thankfully, they are rare in England. Quite often they are to punish a woman who has refused to bow to the demands of a spouse.
"In such cases it is done to leave a permanent reminder of what happens when a woman rejects attempts to control her."
Speaking after the pensioner was jailed, Detective Constable Jason Moseley, of West Midlands Police, said: "This was a horrifying and complex case which centred around a controlling relationship.
"Rafiq's young ex-partner was seriously injured and left with devastating, lasting scars, which one can only presume was his intent, given the nature of the planned attack.
"He recruited two people to carry out the attack on his behalf and then tried to claim that he was also a victim.
"His victim now has to rebuild her life and move on from what was ultimately a controlling, abusive relationship that she paid a high price to leave."
The Metropolitan Police has released pictures of the 12 most wanted crime suspects in London, with the force vowing to continue to hunt for them over Christmas.
Investigators are appealing for help in finding the dozen, who are accused of burglaries and violent crimes, including actual bodily harm.
Among them is Alan Goodin, a 64-year-old man with 27 aliases. He is wanted in Ealing for allegedly fleeing a string of bed and breakfasts without paying his bills.
Another, Jay Wheeler, is accused of attacking one of his neighbours with a metal bar following a heated row over loud music.
The Met launched two operations in October to deal with a spike in crime traditionally seen during the winter months.
Operation Bumblebee aims to target the 25% rise in home burglaries reported this time of year, while Operation Equinox is designed to crack down on violence-related offences. Anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol is often to blame, with many crimes taking place near pubs and nightclubs.
Commander Simon Letchford said: "We will not give up in the search to find people who flout the law and cause people misery, and we will use every means available to catch them.
"The use of fugitive teams and other daily operations will continue to ensure those wanted are caught, so they can face justice."
Tumbling oil prices are resulting in lower petrol costs, but there are warnings the good news for drivers may not last.
With prices falling by more than 40% since June's high of $111 a barrel, there have been an increasing number of reports suggesting petrol prices across the UK could soon fall below £1 per litre - the lowest level since the end of May 2009.
Experts at the RAC believe petrol could fall to 99p a litre next year, while economists at Goldman Sachs also believe petrol could fall close to £1.
But AA president Edmund King insists this possibility remains "remote".
He said: "A 6.6p-a-litre drop in the price of petrol releases a potential £3m-a-day switch of consumer spending from fuel forecourts to other businesses.
Video:Oil Industry Faces Fresh Challenges
"It will also lower the cost of transporting goods, hopefully also to be passed on to customers."
Mr King went on: "However, the parallels with the 2008 crash, albeit that was a market in freefall while this one has been engineered by OPEC and could be stopped any time, carry a warning from the ghost of Christmas past.
"In 2009, a new year brought a new assessment of the market and pump prices started to rise again on January 5."
Video:Why Are Oil Prices Plunging?
Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also suggests petrol prices are unlikely to fall below £1-a-litre in the coming months.
But while the ONS said the price consumers pay at the pumps for petrol and diesel were "strongly related to the price of crude oil", it highlighted that price changes were "less volatile and the effect of changes in crude oil prices are delayed".
Ian Taylor, chief executive and president of Vitol, the world's largest oil trading company, told Sky News' Ian King Live that although the future was difficult to predict he believes the market "will steady up".
Video:How Do Oil Traders View The Future?
He said: "As you know oil traders are pretty useless at predicting price, but we sort of feel that inevitably at these price levels that several areas of the world will begin to cut back on capex (capital expenditure) and we'll see some reductions in supply and a big transfer of income to the consumers - hopefully lower petrol prices in the UK etc - and that will increase demand.
"We feel at the current prices and with Brent at $60 a barrel we should begin to see some stability, but oil has been a lot lower than this and a lot higher so it's difficult to predict just at this moment - but I do begin to believe the market will begin to steady up."
He added: "It's a pretty big tax cut for every single consumer in the world and it's a huge transfer of income from oil producers to world consumers. It's pretty positive for the UK, Europe and other big consuming countries around the globe."
Video:Oil Prices - Winners And Losers
Petrol pump prices have plunged in the last month with the mid-November to mid-December fall the third biggest in 25 years, according to the AA.
The motoring group said that between mid-November and mid-December UK average petrol prices fell 6.6p to 116.32p a litre.
Only the October-November 2008 fall of 11.5p a litre and the August-September 2006 dip of 7.9p have been greater than the most recent decline.
Video:What's Causing Falling Oil Prices?
The AA also said that average diesel prices have fallen 5.27p a litre to 122.16p over the mid-November to mid-December 2014 period.
And the fall does not include the very latest 2p-a-litre petrol reduction by the four biggest supermarkets which took effect on Wednesday.
Currently, south west England has the cheapest petrol, at an average of 116.1p a litre, while East Anglia has the dearest, at 117.1p.
Video:Oil Chief's Petrol Price Prediction
The cheapest diesel is to be found in Northern Ireland, at 121.8p a litre, with the most-expensive in Scotland, at 122.7p a litre.
