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Toddler Badly Burned After Falling Onto BBQ

The barbecue was stuck to the two-and-a-half-year-old's stomach because of the heat but her parents managed to pull it off.

Luii Duncan, who suffered serious burns after falling onto a barbecue in a local park
Luii suffered serious burns after the 'horrifying' accident

A toddler has been scarred for life after falling face-first onto a smouldering barbecue in a "horrifying" case.
Luii Duncan suffered burns to her face, arms, chest and hands and is likely to need a skin graft.

The barbecue was so hot it stuck to the two-and-a-half-year-old girl's stomach.

Her mother, Rosemary Duncan, of Morden, south London said she cannot get that image out her head.
She said: "I'm trying to block it out, but I want to warn people about the dangers of leaving hot barbecues in parks."

"It's horrifying to see a man holding up your child and seeing her with a barbecue stuck on her stomach. Everyone was throwing water on her and trying to pull it off."

The metal barbecue had been left smouldering by its owners, despite being asked by friends of Luii's parents to put it out before they left Beddington Park in Sutton.

Moments later, as she was playing with a group of children nearby, she fell on to the red hot coals and suffered serious burns.

Her parents and their friends managed to pull the barbecue off Luii after dousing her with water.

She was taken by ambulance to nearby St Helier Hospital before being transferred to a specialist burns unit at Chelsea Children's Hospital.

The youngster remained in hospital under observation but is now back home.

Mrs Duncan said: "It's a long journey to recovery for her. We're just thankful she is going to be OK.
"She will have a scar for life on her stomach, and burns on her arms. She is still having trouble sleeping."
Mrs Duncan said more needed to be done to prevent another such accident. "There need to be more wardens around to enforce the rules. Next time a young child might be killed."

Luii's father, Nathan Duncan, said: "Our daughter has been subjected to untold agony and trauma due to negligence, inconsideration and a deep lack of care for others."

A council spokesman said: "We are sorry this unfortunate incident occurred and we wish the little girl a speedy recovery.

"Sutton is proud of its parks and open spaces and we do all we can to make sure they are safe for residents to enjoy.

"We would like to draw attention to the park bylaws which forbid anyone from lighting a fire for a barbecue or any other reason unless it is in a designated area on one of the stands provided.
"In this incident the barbecue was not on a stand."

Police have said that after investigating the issue they would not bring any criminal charges but will increase patrols in parks by PCSOs (community support officers) while the hot weather continues.

Saudi Princess Accused Of Human Trafficking

Meshael Alayban is charged with human trafficking after a Kenyan woman escapes and alleges she was held against her will.

Saudi princess Meshael Alayban
Meshael Alayban flew to California from Saudi Arabia in May

A Saudi princess is facing up to 12 years in prison in California after being accused of holding a servant against her will.

Meshael Alayban, 42, has been charged with one count of human trafficking at her home in Gramercy, Irvine, around 40 miles from Los Angeles.

Her alleged victim, a 30-year-old woman from Kenya, previously worked for the Alayban family in Saudi Arabia, where she claimed she was forced to work excessive hours and paid only a fraction of the salary she was promised.

She said that while in Saudi Arabia, Alayban took her passport and refused to return it when she complained about working conditions and asked to leave.

The woman travelled with the family to California but fled Alayban's apartment and flagged down a passing bus.
Meshael Alayban's home in Gramercy, Irvine, California
Alayban has an apartment on this development in Irvine, California
She was carrying a Department of State leaflet, given to her at the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia where she was issued with a travel visa, describing her rights and warning about the dangers of human trafficking.
A passenger on the bus saw the woman was in distress and called the police.

Detectives who searched Alayban's home found four other women, all from the Philippines, who also claim to have had their documents taken.

They are believed to be stored in a safe deposit box at a local bank.

A spokesman for Irvine Police Department said all five women are in good health.
There are no signs of any physical abuse and authorities are helping them find alternative accommodation.
Alayban is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of a $1m (£660,000) bail.

Taser Death: Jordan Begley Dies In Manchester

Police say the 23-year-old "suffered a medical episode" after police fired a Taser stun gun at him in Manchester.

Jordan Begley
Video: Police used a Taser on Mr Begley (Pic: Facebook)

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.
Man dies after police use taser
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.
Man dies after police use taser
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).

Marriage: Love Is Gone For One In Four

Do the vows "till death do us part" still apply? Research finds many Brits are trapped in marriages because of money or children.

Wedding
One in six wish they had not got married in the first place, the study said

Many married couples are trapped in loveless marriages and are only sticking together either for the sake of the children or for financial reasons, a survey has found.

The study of more than 2,000 people revealed that one-quarter of husbands and wives admit they are not "in love" with their partner.

And the same number admitted they only stay together for the sake of the children and would consider separating once the children leave home.

One-third wished it had worked out with someone else instead, while one in five admitted that they have been unfaithful.

The research by lawyers Slater and Gordon also revealed that one in six wish they had not got married in the first place.

But almost half still said that getting married was the best thing they ever did and three-quarters said they would still wholeheartedly advise young people to get married.

For unhappy couples, arguments over money, sex and spousal control were given as the main reasons cited for the breakdown in relationships.

Finance was the number one reason, the survey found.

One in five said they would end their marriage if they could guarantee they would be comfortable financially.
However, husbands and wives gave different reasons for staying in a loveless marriage.

The number one reason to stay for women was that they would be unable to sustain themselves financially in the event of a split.

Men said the negative impact a divorce would have on the family was their main reason for not leaving.

Herbie Hide Faces Arrest After Court No-Show

The former heavyweight champion of the world is in breach of his bail terms as a court hears he is in Nigeria instead of Norwich.

herbie hide hand on mouth
Hide was arrested after being filmed by undercover reporters

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 wbo belt
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.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's Vacuum Challenge

The 9/11 mastermind reportedly spent time in a secret CIA jail redesigning the vacuum cleaner - to stop him going mad.

File photo of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and how his design may have looked (File)

The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks may have been given an unusual mission while confined to a CIA secret prison ... to redesign the humble vacuum cleaner.

A former secret service official has revealed to the AP news agency that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed asked his American jailers in Romania whether he could use his expertise in mechanical engineering to rework the household appliance.

He had endured the most brutal interrogation methods, including being forced to stay awake for 180 hours and 183 instances of waterboarding in Poland.

In that time, he had confessed to a career of atrocities.

But as his intelligence value diminished, the CIA in Romania tried to find ways to occupy him.
"We didn't want them (CIA prisoners) to go nuts," the former official said.

He was given assignments about his knowledge of al Qaeda, or "homework," as CIA officers called it.

He received Snickers bars as a reward and was allowed to read the entire Harry Potter series.

But it remains unclear whether Mohammed was really interested in designing a better vacuum or had ulterior motives.

He may have been inspired by Graham Greene's spy thriller Our Man in Havana, in which a vacuum salesman in Cuba dupes MI6 into believing his designs are military installations.

And it is a mystery how far Mohammed got with his designs.

His military lawyer, Jason Wright, said he was prohibited from discussing his client's interest in vacuums.

"It sounds ridiculous, but answering this question, or confirming or denying the very existence of a vacuum cleaner design, a Swiffer design, or even a design for a better hand towel would apparently expose the US government and its citizens to exceptionally grave danger," he said.

The CIA told the AP that the plans, "should they exist," would be considered classified operational files of the CIA and therefore exempt from ever being made public.

However, the CIA did apparently succeed in keeping Mohammed sane. He appears to be in good health, according to current military records.

The secret CIA prison in Romania was closed in 2006 and he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay - most likely without his blueprints.

 

CCTV Shows Cop Killing Child Snatcher

A stand-off filmed by surveillance cameras ends when the officer fires a single shot at the hostage taker's head.

CCTV images have been released of a child hostage situation in an Oklahoma supermarket, which ended with a policeman shooting dead the suspect.

The surveillance video released by police in Midwest City shows a man snatching a two-year-old girl from a shopping trolley and then holding a knife to her throat.

The toddler's mother, Alicia Keating, frantically pleads with the man, identified as Sammie Wallace, 37, as other shoppers crowd around.
Oklahoma walmart hostage deadly standoff
The man snatches the child as her mother's back is turned
She is seen and heard calling 911 for help. Local police are quickly on the scene and clear the store.
After 30 minutes of tense negotiation, police said Wallace began talking about a satanic cult and counting down from 60.

One of the officers, Captain David Huff, determined that the only way to ensure the safety of the toddler would be to take drastic action.

On the video he is seen moving quickly towards the hostage-taker and preparing to fire a single shot at his head.

The pictures stop at that point, but the police commentary continues and confirms Wallace was killed. The child was unharmed.
Oklahoma walmart hostage deadly standoff
The mother pleads for her child to be let go
"Obviously, our goal was to talk him down to get him to release the child,"  Police Chief Brandon Clabes told reporters.

"I mean, we waited until the last second to use deadly force. No one wants to take a life, especially in the line of duty."

The Oklahoma County district attorney said the shooting on June 17 was justified, and hailed Captain Huff as a hero.

Wallace served time in a Texas prison from 2000 to 2011 on drug and assault charges. He was known to have a long history of mental illness.

 

Runaway Train Blast: Town Mourns Victims

Most of the 50 people believed to have died - including several members of one family - were partying at the time of the blast.

Victims of the Lac-Megantic train derailment

The identities of up to 50 people killed when a runaway train carrying crude oil exploded in Quebec have started to emerge as police admitted the missing were presumed dead.

Twenty bodies have been recovered following the blast in Lac-Megantic, according to officials, which has been blamed on the train's engineer failing to set the train's brakes properly.

Quebec police inspector Michel Forget said he told a meeting of families of the dead and missing "of the potential loss of their loved ones".

"You have to understand that it's a very emotional moment," he said.
Many of the victims had been at the Musi-Cafe, a popular late night bar and live music venue on the town's rue Frontenac.
The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac-Megantic, Canada
The disaster scene with the remains of the Musi-Cafe in the foreground
A 40th birthday party for Josee Lafontaine had been taking place attended by her friends and family, with live music played by Guy Bolduc and Yvan Ricard.

But just after 1am the celebrations came to a sudden halt when the train derailed and exploded in flames just metres from the venue.

One of the guests at the party was Gaetan Lafontaine who had stepped outside moments before the blast occurred.

He immediately rushed into the inferno to look for his wife, Joanie Turmel, but neither of them survived. The couple left behind two children.
Wagons of the train wreck are seen in Lac Megantic
The crude oil freight train was out of control when it crashed
Mr Lafontaine's brother, Pascal, and his sister-in-law, Karine Lafontaine, who also had two children, were in the cafe at the time of the first explosion and have not been seen since.

Raymond Lafontaine lost a son, two-daughters-in-law and an employee.

"I cannot tell you what my heart is feeling,” he told the National Post.

"The more you scratch, the more it hurts. As long as I am active and keep moving, I will be able to talk. But the day I stop, I am going to cry all the tears in my body."
Firefighters at the scene of a train crash in Lac-Megantic, Canada
Parts of the town were completely destroyed by the wall of fire
Mr Ricard had briefly left the venue to smoke a cigarette during an interval in the music, a move which saved his life.

But his colleague, who had gone to the bar for a drink just before the blast, was unable to escape. Mr Bolduc was married with two children.

"The last words he said to me were, 'Yvan, I really like playing with you. We have so much fun together,'" Mr Ricard told TVA.

Local resident Geneviève Breton had finished work at a local pharmacy and had one to the Musi-Cafe to meet her boyfriend.

Ms Breton was training to be a teacher and was well known in the town after her appearance in a Quebec singing competition.

Although her boyfriend escaped the inferno, Ms Breton died in the blast.

“Everybody loved her," her mother Ginette Cameron told the National Post. "She sang like an angel."
Just across the road from the Musi-Cafe lived Jimmy Sirois with his partner, Marie-Semie Alliance, and their 18-month old daughter, Milliana.
The wreckage of a train is pictured after explosion in Lac Megantic
The accident was Canada's worst railway tragedy in 150 years
The couple were killed when the blast flattened their apartment, but Milliana had a miraculous escape as she had been staying with Mr Sirois' parents that evening.

Three of the cafe's employees were also killed in the blast, including Andrée-Anne Sévigny and Jo-Annie Lapointe. Stephane Lapierre, who lived in an apartment above the cafe, also died.

Lucie Vadnais was unable to escape the explosion as it ripped through the bar. She ran a daycare centre according to Josée Lemieux, a neighbour who often left her son there during the day and who described her as an "angel".

Henriette Latulippe, who worked in a beauty parlour on rue Frontenac,  was believed to have been asleep at home a hundred metres from the accident when she was caught in the blast.

The disaster forced 2,000 of the town's 6,000 residents from their homes and was Canada's worst railway tragedy in 150 years.

 

MPs Pay: Watchdog Backs Hike To £74,000

The Commons' expenses watchdog is attacked on all sides for recommending an inflation-busting rise as part of wider changes.

MPs have turned on the Commons' expenses watchdog after it recommended an inflation-busting rise in their pay to £74,000.

Education Secretary Michael Gove led a growing backlash against the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's (Ipsa), calling it "silly".

As part of a wider overhaul, Ipsa proposed a pay hike of more than £6,000 or 9.26%, taking effect in 2015 and costing the taxpayer an extra £4.6m.

The regulator insisted the overall cost would only rise by £500,000 once changes to MPs' pensions, "golden goodbyes" and expenses are enforced.

And chairman Sir Ian Kennedy insisted it was "wrong" to keep MPs' pay low, blaming the 2009 expenses scandal on too much restraint.

However, the move to increase salaries at a time when millions of ordinary Britons are battling to stay afloat left members of the public disgusted.
Sir Ian Kennedy Ipsa chairman
Ipsa boss Sir Ian Kennedy: Changes are "fair"
Callers to a radio show as Sir Ian justified the changes called it "obscene" and asked "what planet are you on?"
Unions immediately demanded a matching increase for their members and threatened strike action and MPs rounded on Ipsa for exposing them to public vitriol.

All three party leaders criticised the proposal and Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg vowed to shun the extra money if the rise goes ahead.

Downing Street insisted it would be wrong for politicians to receive more cash when the public sector faces pay curbs until beyond 2015.

A spokesman for Number 10 said: "The cost of politics should go down not up and MPs' pay shouldn't go up while public sector pay is, rightly, being constrained.

"Ipsa is consulting on its proposals, which it will review after the next election as it is obliged to do by statute. It is independent, but the Government will repeat our view on the need for restraint."

Mr Miliband said: "I don't think MPs should be getting a 10% pay rise when nurses and teachers are facing either pay freezes or very low increases and people in the private sector are facing similar circumstances."

Mr Clegg added that a time when millions of public sector workers were working hard despite pay restraint was "about the worst time to advocate that MPs should get a double digit pay increase".

Mr Gove delivered the most blunt response yet from a senior figure during a school visit.
Asked if the rise should go ahead, he said: "Absolutely not. MPs are incredibly well paid at the moment anyway, as are ministers.

"It is an absolute privilege to be an MP or a minister. This organisation Ipsa, it is a bit of a silly organisation anyway. And as far as I am concerned, pay rise - they can stick it."

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen was one of the few prepared to speak out publicly in favour of the rise.
David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg
All three parties have suggested MPs should not get the pay rise
"MPs are paid about the same as a junior school headmistress or headmaster. I've got lots and lots of those in my constituency, there is only one MP," he said.

"I can't think of another job where there's only 650 of those roles in the whole of Great Britain that are paid on this sort of level,"
Ipsa rejected claims the current salary was putting off candidates or failing to attract those of a high enough quality, insisting there was no "compelling evidence" to back this view.

And it said any dissatisfaction with the job is more likely to be down to other factors because most politicians regard their work as a vocation and were well aware of the pay packet.

But under the recommendations, MPs will see their pay increase from £66,396 to £74,000 in May 2015. They will then rise annually in line with average UK earnings, in a move designed to ensure the issue is resolved for the long-term.

Other changes would see the existing final salary pension scheme downgraded to career average, putting it in line with the rest of the public sector.

The retirement age will also be the same as for the state pension and death in service benefits will be slashed from 4.25 times salary to double.

Ipsa claims the pension changes will save £2.5m in the first year.

"Golden goodbyes", paid out when MPs lose an election, will still be paid in 2015 and be worth up to £33,000 per politician.

But by 2020 defeated MPs will only be entitled to two weeks' pay for every year of service if they are under 41 and three weeks if they are older.

Expenses face a further clampdown, which Ipsa says will save £178,000 in 2015 with a £15 dinner allowance axed and tighter rules on the use of taxis and hotels.

MPs will also no longer be able to claim for the cost of TV licences and contents insurance on their second homes.

Sir Ian said all MPs would be paid the higher salary, and it would be up to them whether they kept the money.

"We are not going to run 650 employment schemes, that would be daft," he said. "MPs can do what they want to do."

I"The aim is to have as transparent a system as possible. The public will know what MPs get for their costs and expenses, their salaries and pensions, and what they have done.

"There is no easy way forward on this. We have put together a package of reform which we think is fair and which ends the anomalies of the past."

The watchdog claims changes already made to expenses have saved the taxpayer £35m and that its regime will be £7m-a-year cheaper than the one they inherited.

It is now putting its proposals out for consultation before they are finalised in the autumn. Party leaders cannot stop the watchdog without changing the law.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Sinclair called the hike "totally unpalatable" and branded Ipsa an "unaccountable quango putting up two fingers to the British public".

"Ipsa is right to be reforming the gold-plated parliamentary pensions and cutting golden goodbyes for retiring or defeated MPs, but it beggars belief that they have come up with a plan that will increase the cost of our politicians when everyone's budgets are under such pressure," he said.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow warned: "Be in no doubt, RMT will be fighting for pay rise parity with MPs in all of our negotiations and will have no hesitation in striking to get for our members what the politicians have got for themselves.

"If inflation-busting pay increases are good enough for the political class then they are good enough for nurses, transport workers, firefighters and the rest of the working class."

 

San Francisco Crash Pilot 'Blinded By Light'

A pilot learning to fly a Boeing 777 when it crashed says he saw a flash before impact -as 911 calls from passengers are released.

The pilot of a plane which crashed at San Francisco airport, killing two people, may have been temporarily blinded by a bright light as he came into land.

Lee Kang Kuk, who was making his first landing at the airport and had just 43 hours' experience at the controls of the Boeing 777, said he saw a bright flash as he approached the runway.

It happened around 35 seconds before impact when Asiana Airlines flight 214 was around 500ft (150m) off the ground - the point at which the aircraft began to slow down and drop steeply.

Deborah Hersman, who chairs the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said the use of lasers had not been ruled out.
The aftermath of a plane crash in San Francisco, taken by passenger Eugene Anthony Rah
Passenger Eugene Anthony Rah took this photo of the aftermath of the crash
It is not clear whether the flash of light caused the crash or whether other factors were to blame.

The pilot's claim came as phone calls to the emergency services made by passengers on board the plane were released, demonstrating the confusion caused when the Boeing 777 hit the runway.

Pleading for ambulances to be sent, one woman can be heard saying: "There are a lot of people that need help ... We have people over here who weren't found and they're burned really badly."

Meanwhile, it has emerged that passengers were initially told not to evacuate the aircraft.
Air stewardess
The airline stewardesses at a press conference following the crash
The plane hit a sea wall as it came into land, causing its tail fin to break off and the rest of the fuselage to spin across the runway.

However, the NTSB found people did not begin leaving the plane until a fire erupted 90 seconds after impact.

"We don't know what the pilots were thinking, though I can tell you in previous accidents there have been crews that don't evacuate, they wait for other vehicles to come to be able to get the passengers out safely," Ms Hersman said.

She suggested that the pilots in the cockpit may not have been in a position to spot the fire outside the plane.
San Francisco plane crash
Air crash investigators at the site in San Francisco
At least one of the emergency escape slides opened inside the aircraft, pinning down two flight attendants.
Three other crew members were flung from the aircraft onto the runway but survived.

The NTSB is using pilot interviews, cockpit recordings and control tower communications to piece together the moments leading up to the crash.

They found both Mr Lee and his co-pilot, Lee Jung Min, who was on his first flight as an instructor, both thought the aircraft's speed was being controlled by an autothrottle, which was set to 157mph.
An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 after a crash landing in San Fransisco
Wreckage from Asiana Airlines flight 214 was strewn across the runway
When they realised the plane was approaching the waterfront runway too low and too slow, they both reached for the throttle.

Passengers heard a loud roar as the pilots made a desperate attempt to abort the landing.

Two Chinese students were killed in the crash, which left 180 people injured. The students, who began their journey to the US in Shanghai, were on their way to a 15 day camp to study English.

Families of around 20 survivors who remain in hospital have begun arriving to care for their loved ones.
Flight 214 was a direct flight from Incheon in South Korea to San Francisco.

 

Daniel Pelka: Stepfather Denies Deadly Punch

A court is told that Mariusz Krezolek tried to strangle Daniel's mother as she attempted to stop him beating the boy.

Daniel Pelka

A man accused of murdering his four-year-old stepson has denied punching him in the head and strangling the child's mother, a court has heard.

It is alleged that Daniel Pelka was subjected to "incomprehensible" cruelty, and was starved for months before being beaten to death.

Mariusz Krezolek and the boy's mother Magdelena Luczak deny murder and causing or allowing his death.
Krezolek was giving evidence in his defence for a fourth day at Birmingham Crown court.

The 34-year-old had earlier told the jury that on the evening of March 1, 2012, he had seen Daniel in the kitchen with a washing up bowl.

He said he had thought Daniel's mother had given him salt as a punishment for stealing food, and he thought the bowl was for him to vomit in.

Krezolek had said that Daniel had then fallen over twice, then a short time later fallen again while in the bath and lost consciousness.

But Luczak's barrister, Stephen Linehan QC, suggested an entirely different version of events, and that it was Krezolek who had taken Daniel upstairs to punish him.

"From the bathroom you grabbed hold of his clothes and took him into the box room, then you punched him to the side of his head," Mr Linehan said.

He went on to suggest the stepfather had knocked Daniel onto a mattress and then tried to strangle Luczak when she tried to stop him.

Mr Linehan added: "I'm suggesting his injuries to his brain were caused by a direct blow that knocked him down."

Krezolek repeatedly replied "not true" to each of the accusations.

Later he said: "I was trying to believe Magda that he was simply tired and asleep. I said if Daniel is feeling bad tomorrow we are going to hospital first thing in the morning.

"Magda said wait 'til the morning, he is surely weak due to the salt."

Krezolek was asked why, when Daniel was unconscious or semi-unconscious, was he surfing the internet for a new car and new tyres.

He admitted carrying on "partially" as "normal", because he said Daniel's mother was confident that he would be alright.

Mr Linehan said to Krezolek: "Both of you were responsible for the mistreatment of that boy."
"Yes", Krezolek replied.

Mr Linehan asked: "One of you killed him, but which one?"
Krezolek said: "I didn't see Magda do anything and I didn't do anything either."
The trial continues.

Lee Rigby: Vigil For Murdered Soldier In Bury

The family of the Fusilier, who was brutally killed in southeast London in May, gather at a parish church close to his home.

Fusilier Lee Rigby remembered ahead of funeral.

Well-wishers have been lining the streets to pay their respects to murdered soldier Lee Rigby on the eve of his funeral.

A vigil for the Fusilier, who was hacked to death near Woolwich barracks in May, is to be held in Bury in the next few hours.

Earlier his family thanked the public for their "overwhelming support" since the 25-year-old was killed.
They will gather around his coffin before a comrade at arms keeps a guard of honour overnight at Bury Parish Church in Greater Manchester.

The father of one had served in Afghanistan and was attached to the regimental recruiting team when he was murdered in broad daylight in an attack that shocked the nation.

His funeral on Friday is expected to be attended by hundreds of people.

Bury has strong links with Fusilier Rigby's regiment, whose roots go back to the Lancashire Fusiliers, based in Bury, just two miles from the soldier's home town of Middleton.

Drummers from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2RRF) drummed the cortege past soldiers of the Regiment lining the route to Bury Parish Church.
Fusilier Lee Rigby is being remembered in Bury.
The procession was not far from the soldier's home town
A short ceremony was to take place inside the church.

Prime Minister David Cameron this week told the Commons the whole of the UK will be mourning with Fusilier Rigby's family and friends at his funeral.

The family's wishes are for a private military funeral with the public and media asked to pay their respects outside the church, with the service broadcast to those outside on loudspeakers.

A book of condolence is open for signing at The Fusilier Museum in Bury.

:: Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, have been charged with the murder of Fusilier Rigby and are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on November 18.

They will appear at the same court for a plea and case management hearing on September 27.

UK drugmaker GSK accused of bribery in China

Some executives of GlaxoSmithKline are being investigated for suspected bribery and tax-related violations, police say.

 

Senior executives of the Chinese division of British pharmaceutical firm, GlaxoSmithKline, have been accused of running bribery campaigns, according to the ministry of public security.

Senior managers of GSK in China have confessed to bribery, "serious" business offences and tax crimes, the ministry of public security said on Thursday in a statement.

As a big multinational pharmaceutical company, GSK China in recent years rampantly bribed some government officials, a number of pharmaceutical industry groups and funds, hospitals and doctors
Ministry of Public Security, China 

"As a big multinational pharmaceutical company, GSK China in recent years rampantly bribed some government officials, a number of pharmaceutical industry groups and funds, hospitals and doctors," said the ministry, which is in charge of China's police.

The firm did so in order to sell products or raise prices, it said, adding that benefits were provided "via travel agencies and other channels in the form of direct bribery or sponsorship".
It also committed tax-related crimes, the statement said, following police investigations in the financial hub Shanghai and the central cities of Changsha and Zhengzhou.
"The case involves a large number of people, a long period of time, a huge value and its circumstances are vile," it added.

No evidence of wrongdoing
It identified the employees only as "high officials" of the company and gave no details of the size of payments or who received them.

"After questioning, the suspects confessed to the crime,'' the statement said.
GSK said that it would cooperate with the authorities, but said Thursday's announcement was the first official communication it has received about the investigation.

"Corruption has no place in our business. If evidence of such activity is provided we would of course act swiftly on it," said a company statement.

The company said last month that it had investigated an accusation that its salespeople in China bribed doctors, but found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The company has said the police investigation might be based on information from the same anonymous source.

Last year, the British drugmaker, agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges, and paid $3bn to settle what government officials described as the largest case of healthcare fraud in US history.

Missing Teen Hollie: Body Found In Sea

After a three-day search for a Scottish teenager who went missing off the South Wales coast, a body is recovered from the sea.

Hollie McClymont has been named as the girl who went missing from Barry Island.

Hollie McClymont has been named as the girl who went missing from Barry Island.
Hollie was last seen swimming on Sunday

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.

Naked Woman Distracts Man While He Is Robbed

A man watches as a woman swims naked in his pool while her partner allegedly steals valuables and a gun from inside his home.

Pool at burgled home Pic: WKRN

A couple appear to have taken distraction burglary to a whole new level after the woman stripped off while her partner allegedly raided their victim's home.

The pair called on a 54-year-old man at his home in Crossville, Tennessee, to ask if they could use his pool to cool off on a hot day.
Naked distraction burglary victim Pic: WKRN
The victim did not want to appear on camera for WKRN-TV
Stephen Amaral agreed to their request, but the woman in her thirties then enquired if it would be okay if she swam naked. He said that was not a problem.

Police say the partner then apparently left to get some cigarettes, while the homeowner sat in his garden for a full 20 minutes watching the woman skinny-dipping.

"I went and got her a towel, she dried off and all of a sudden she was soaking wet again," the former sheriff's deputy told Nashville's WKRN-TV.

"I escorted her outside and invited her to church, but she said she didn't have time for that, she wasn't ready for that."

It was only after she left that Mr Amaral realised his old service revolver, jewellery and prescription drugs were missing.

He said he felt "violated" after doing the couple a good turn.
Police have identified the suspects, but say they are still investigating.

Cafe: No Entry If 'Allergic To Black People'

A businesswoman who believes her ethnicity puts off some customers has put up a sign saying: "Be aware I am a black woman."

Martha-Renée Kolleh

A cafe owner in a West Yorkshire market town has put up a sign warning customers not to come in if they are "allergic to black people."

Martha-Renee Kolleh, who runs the Caribbean and British-themed Yeanon Cafe in Ossett, said she put up the message because she was fed up of people leaving when they had seen her.

The sign on the entrance reads: "Attention. Everyone be aware I am a black woman, and always will be. If you are allergic to black people, don't come in.

"But if you prefer quality wholesome meals in a pleasant and clean environment, come in. I don't bite. Thanks, Martha-Renee."

Ms Kolleh, a single mother-of-three who has owned the high-street cafe for almost two and a half years, said customers were reacting differently to her than to white members of staff.

She said: "I put the sign up last Tuesday to vent my frustration and I was just expressing the way I felt at that moment.

"People would come in, open the door, look at me and turn round and go outside.

"At first I said to myself 'Maybe I'm being paranoid.' It's not like I've got two heads or something."
She said the market town of Ossett, which has a population of 16,000, of whom 97% are white, was not a racist place.

She said: "I've encountered some people who've been exceptionally nice. But I would say I've met some extremely horrible people too.

"It's not about who's racist and who's not. I'm just expressing the way I feel."
Customer Spike Falloon said he could understand why Ms Kolleh had made the sign. But he added: "Ossett is a lovely little town. It's never known any racist problems at all."

Wife Tells Hitman: 'It's Easier Than Divorce'

The unhappily married woman is unaware the killer she is hiring is actually an undercover cop who is filming the whole exchange.

A woman has been caught on video telling a detective posing as a hitman that killing her husband would be "easier than divorcing him".

Julia Charlene Merfeld, 20, from Muskegon, Michigan, said that if her 27-year-old husband was no longer alive, she would not have to worry about "breaking his heart" or her family's judgement following a messy separation.

The 20-year-old calmly discusses possible dates for the hit, checking her calendar and stressing it had to be a Thursday.

She also requests that her husband is not killed in their home because it would be "messy".
Occasionally the mother-of two laughs as she chats with the undercover detective.
Wife hires fake hitman to kill husband - checks calendar
Merfeld checks her phone to set a date for the killing
"When I first decided to do this … it’s not that we weren’t getting along," Merfeld tells him. "But terrible as it sounds, it was easier than divorcing him."

She goes on: "You know, I didn’t have to worry about the judgement of my family, I didn’t have to worry about breaking his heart, all that stuff like this. It’s, like, how I got a clean getaway."

Authorities said Merfeld wanted her husband's $400,000 (£269,000) life insurance policy, and promised to pay $50,000 (£33,500) for the killing.

Merfeld pleaded guilty last month to soliciting the murder.
She is due to be sentenced on July 30 and is expected to go to prison, despite her husband requesting she is not jailed at all.

 

Fake Ecstasy: Seventh Death Linked To Pills

The counterfeit pills are green in colour and have a crown logo - there are also warnings of a white pill with a Mitsubishi logo.

Police warning over tablets

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.
Police warning over tablets
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.

BBC Boss 'Shocked' Over Bumper Pay-Offs

The most senior figures at the BBC appeared before MPs to answer questions about huge pay-offs to outgoing managers.

BBC bosses have been 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 appeared before the Public Accounts Committee, along with human resources director Lucy Adams and trust member Anthony Fry.

The session in the House of Commons came 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
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."
Mark Byford Caroline Thompson
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
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
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 Hall said the issue was not just with the human resources department, but a broader problem with the culture at the BBC and "the amount of control at the centre over what was going on was simply not good enough".

He added that he was working to make the BBC a "simpler" organisation and it was "over-complex, over-layered".

Mr Hall said: "Culturally I think we'd lost the plot, we lost the way", but added he had faith in Ms Adams to continue in her role.

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.