Apollo Theatre Collapse: Venue 'Neglected'

The owner of the Apollo Theatre in London's West End claimed last year that the venue had "suffered years of benign neglect".

Nica Burns, co-owner and chief executive of Nimax Theatres, which runs the building in Shaftesbury Avenue, said in an interview last year that it had a budget of just £2.45m to restore its five West End playhouses.

That was funded by a £1 restoration levy on tickets at the theatres, which the company said was spent entirely on upkeep and maintenance work once VAT was paid.

Speaking to Theatres Magazine, Ms Burns said: "Before we could start on the improvements, we had to address the damp. Water attacks the building from above and below."

A police officer on duty outside the Apollo Theatre in the West End

The restoration work carried out included new £120,000 customer toilets and a makeover for four carved stone muses on the rooftop, she told the magazine.

An investigation is under way after nearly 80 people were injured, nine seriously, when part of the theatre ceiling collapsed during a packed show.

One line of inquiry being considered is that excess water during a torrential downpour may have caused the collapse.

In 2000, previous owner Andrew Lloyd-Webber, who sold the Apollo to Nimax in 2005, told the Times newspaper: "The Apollo in particular is a shocking place.

Emergency services on the roof of the theatre

"I suggested that both it and the Lyric should be knocked down and replaced by top-quality modern theatres."

The composer and musical theatre impresario complained that his plans for a black-box auditorium inside the existing plasterwork had been opposed by English Heritage.

More than 700 people were inside the Apollo when members of the audience started screaming as it appeared parts of the ceiling caved in.

Most of the injured were discharged shortly afterwards, having been mainly treated for cuts and bruises.

Police and ambulance officers at the scene following the collapse

Although performances at the Apollo have been cancelled until January 4, London mayor Boris Johnson said the West End was "open for business"

Mr Johnson also praised the response from emergency services as "exemplary".

"Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre have assured me that all safety checks for the West End's historic theatres are up to date but, as a precaution, further checks have already started and will continue throughout the day."

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Search For 'Woman In Sea' In Brighton

Police have received reports that a woman has been swept out to sea in Brighton, East Sussex.

Emergency services were called to a nightclub on the seafront in the early hours of this morning, but as yet no person or body has been found.

Sussex Police said in a statement: "At 0220, police received reports that a woman had been swept out to sea opposite the Digital nightclub on Brighton seafront.

"Police, ambulance, and coastguard attended. A helicopter was also deployed to search.

"As of 0500, no person or body has been found."

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Lockerbie Anniversary: PM Praises Victims

David Cameron has paid tribute to the "fortitude and resilience" of those affected by the Lockerbie bombing as memorial services marking the 25th anniversary of the atrocity take place today.

Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of December 21 1988, killing 270 people - everyone on board and 11 on the ground.

The Prime Minister described it as "one of the worst aviation disasters in history and the deadliest act of terrorism" ever committed in the UK.

He said: "Though 25 years have passed, memories of the 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents who lost their lives on that terrible night have not dimmed.

Eleven people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie

"Over the last quarter of a century much attention has been focused on the perpetrators of the atrocity. Today our thoughts turn to its victims and to those whose lives have been touched and changed by what happened at Lockerbie that night.

"To families, friends, neighbours, loved ones, and all those caught up in the painful process of recovery, let us say to them: our admiration for you is unconditional. For the fortitude and resilience you have shown. For your determination never to give up. You have shown that terrorist acts cannot crush the human spirit. That is why terrorism will never prevail.

"And even in the darkest moments of grief, it is possible to glimpse the flickering flame of hope."

Memorial events attended by politicians, officials, families and members of the community will take place in Lockerbie, London and in the US where most of the 270 victims were from.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and Lord Wallace, Advocate General for Scotland, will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Dryfesdale Cemetery in the Dumfries and Galloway town.

Mr Salmond said: "As the community of Lockerbie marks the milestone, memorial events will be held in Westminster Abbey, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and at Syracuse University which lost 35 students in the bombing.

Abdelbaset al Megrahi was the only person to be convicted of the bombing

"But, inevitably, a focus of the day will be on the memorial in Lockerbie and it is there that I will pay my respects and condolences on behalf of the people of Scotland."

Libyan Abdelbaset al Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing in January 2001 and given a life sentence.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, leading to a decision to free him under compassionate release rules.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill took that decision on August 20 the following year, sparking a row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Megrahi died in Tripoli, Libya in May last year.

Despite the guilty verdict and Megrahi's decision to drop a subsequent appeal against conviction, politicians, campaigners and families of victims are still dealing with the impact, with some of the British relatives considering another appeal against his conviction when they meet with lawyers in the new year.

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Rochdale Sex Abuse Review To Level Criticism

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

A report into a series of child sex abuse cases in Rochdale is expected to level strong criticism at police and social workers.

It follows a high-profile court case last year which involved a sex trafficking gang who preyed on vulnerable young girls.

The victims had been plied with alcohol and drugs before being passed around a group of men who were largely of Pakistani origin.

Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Police have already apologised for the way they handled the cases and fears have been raised in the town that dozens of victims may have slipped through the net.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said the review has taken too long

The serious case review findings come as five men who also sexually exploited a "profoundly vulnerable and damaged" 15-year-old girl in Rochdale are due to be sentenced.

Again in this case the victim's abusers plied her with alcohol and cannabis before committing their offences.

One man was originally arrested on suspicion of rape in 2008 and freed after the girl was told by police not to have further dealings with him.

He was finally re-arrested four years later. Several men had gone on to abuse the teenager in the intervening years.

Authorities involved in the care of Rochdale's vulnerable children say they have learned lessons but the education department is expected to be critical of today's report from the town's Safeguarding Children Board.

Rochdale's MP Simon Danczuk has been campaigning for a better response to the problem from Greater Manchester Police in particular.

He told Sky News: "I'm very frustrated that it's taken so long. They should have started a serious case review straight after the trial in Rochdale and that would have ensured that we could have moved on from it much more quickly.

"There's no doubt about it, this grooming case has cast a very negative shadow right across Rochdale for far too long."

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Npower To Pay £3.5m To Vulnerable Customers

Npower has agreed to pay £3.5m to vulnerable customers after an Ofgem investigation found the energy firm breached sales rules.

Regulator Ofgem said the failings of doorstep and telesales staff meant customers were not able to make informed decisions on whether to switch suppliers.

The company remedied the shortcomings by September 2012 but has agreed to make a payment of at least £25 to each of its customers who receive the Warm Home Discount.

Ofgem said npower gained insufficient information about a customer's consumption to enable them to decide whether to switch.

It also failed to ensure that comparisons between the price of npower's supply and that of the customer's current supplier were always based on the tariff that customers were on.

And information on when some consumers would receive their direct debit discount and how direct debit levels would be reviewed was also found to have been inaccurate.

Ofgem's Senior Partner in charge of enforcement Sarah Harrison said: "npower has done the right thing by stepping forward and recognising that, whilst it was making changes to improve its sales processes, weaknesses remained which affected consumers' ability to compare supplier offers fairly.

"These issues have been fully addressed by npower and Ofgem welcomes the company's actions and its agreement to pay £3.5m to directly benefit vulnerable consumers.

"Ofgem will continue to hold companies to account to ensure rules to protect energy consumers are met and that the market works for consumers in a simpler, clearer and fairer way."

Paul Massara, npower's CEO, said: "We've worked very closely with Ofgem as they've investigated these previous issues. It's good to draw a line under this, so we can focus on our goal of becoming number one for customer experience by the end of 2015."

Any money not paid out from the £3.5m will be paid into another fund in support for vulnerable homeowners with long term cold related illnesses.

Npower said it would write to customers affected by the rule breaches before assessing whether they are entitled to compensation.

The company, which has 3.4 million domestic customers, said it would donate £1m to a fund for vulnerable customers, with half of this channelled to Macmillan Cancer Support.

This week itt published a list of the actions it is taking to improve service.

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Adebolajo's Brother Refuses To Condemn Murder

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The brother of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo has refused to condemn the murder of Lee Rigby.

Jeremiah Adebolajo told Sky News: "My brother's blood is no more expensive than the blood of an Afghan child, and I think Lee Rigby's blood is no more expensive than an Iraqi child."

When asked if he had any regrets over the murder in Woolwich, Mr Adebolajo replied: "My main regret is that foreign troops are in the land of the Muslims."

Like his brother, Mr Adebolajo believes the foreign policies of the UK and US justify direct action against British soldiers, who they believe are "enemy combatants".

The brothers grew up in Romford, Essex, with their parents and sisters.

Adebolajo was intercepted by Kenyan military trying to enter Somalia

Mr Adebolajo said: "We had a fairly ordinary upbringing. We grew up as any other Nigerian young men do I guess in east London, nothing extraordinary.

"My parents were protestant Christians. As you can imagine with most African parents, they consider religion to be something of great importance and we were no different."

Of his brother he said: "He was always concerned I guess with morality. He was a happy guy, he's a bit of a joker.

"A very athletic individual. He loves sports, football. He is an Arsenal fan."

Michael Adebolajo converted to Islam in his first year at the University of Greenwich, his brother said.

His brother said: "I don't think that there was a particular moment when he said 'I have become a Muslim'.

Lee Rigby was murdered in Woolwich on May 22

"It was a gradual change we saw in him in which he became more devoted, more practising."

Michael Adebolajo started joining street protests. In 2006 he was arrested and jailed for 51 days for assaulting two police officers when a demonstration turned violent outside the Old Bailey.

His brother, who also converted, rejects the assumption that Adebolajo was radicalised by prominent figures such as Anjem Choudray.

Jeremiah Adebolajo said: "The media have taken this line that we have a disenfranchised young Christian boy who was radicalised by these bogeymen figures, Anjem Choudary, Omar Bakri, it is a simplistic narrative.

"The truth is they had no ideological influence over my brother, none at all."

In 2010, Michael Adebolajo left his family in London and travelled to Kenya hoping to get into Somalia.

Adebolajo and Adebowale will be sentenced in January

It is widely reported he was trying to join al Shabaab but was intercepted by the Kenyan military and then deported back to the UK.

The British security services had a hand in his repatriation to Britain and were trying to recruit Adebolajo to work with them.

His brother said: "I think the public have a right to ask the security services why they brought him back when he wanted to live there under Islamic law."

Jeremiah Adebolajo also now lives abroad working as an English teacher at a university in Saudi Arabia, but has returned to London for the trial at the Old Bailey.

He has visited his brother inside HMP Belmarsh several times, most recently last Saturday.

Mr Adebolajo claimed that Michael was attacked by prison officers who knocked out the killer's front teeth during his time in prison.

He said: "It was five guys who attacked him. One of the reasons he doesn't want to get them (his teeth) fixed is because he doesn't want to hide it.

"My brother is the kind of guy that if we were young we would have a fight, he could get your teeth knocked out so it is not a huge major big deal."

On Thursday, the union for prison workers, POA, said in a statement that all five officers had been exonerated with the Crown Prosecution Service deciding there was no case to answer.

When challenged about the murder of Lee Rigby, Mr Adebolajo said he understood the condemnation of the public but added "we have to think about the reasons for these actions".

He said: "The young lady in Afghanistan who was raped and killed and burned alive by American soldiers, do you think her parents felt something similar to the parents of Lee Rigby?

"There is a danger in dehumanising Afghanistanis.

"My brother is under no illusion that his actions are going to have an overarching effect on foreign policy. He considers himself a soldier."

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Woman Killed As High Winds Hit UK And Ireland

Further strong winds are expected to batter the UK today after two people died in gale force conditions.

The Met Office has an amber warning - its second-highest level - for Northern Ireland and parts of western Scotland, where gusts of up to 90mph are expected.

Wind warnings are in place across much of the Republic of Ireland, with Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, as well as Munster, Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan, all braced for winds of up to 70mph.

As much as 20cm of snow could fall in Scotland, while icy roads may create treacherous driving conditions in Wales and across much of eastern England.

The League Cup game at Stoke was halted by a hail storm

It comes after storms caused by an Atlantic depression left two people dead and thousands of people without power.

A 23-year-old woman was killed in Ireland when a tree fell onto her car near Mullingar, County Westmeath.

Paramedics cut her free from the wreckage of the vehicle but she died from her injuries.

In Warwickshire, a man suffered head and chest injuries when a tree hit his car on the A45 between Stretton-on-Dunsmore and Rugby.

Flood warnings have been issued across the UK

A 19-year-old passenger in the car also suffered facial injuries.

Meanwhile, coastguards and an RAF helicopter were forced to call off a search after a man fell overboard from a cargo ship on the River Trent in Lincolnshire.

The 45-year-old, who was not thought to have been wearing a life jacket, became entangled in ropes, according to a coastguard spokesman.

The winds knocked out power to around 7,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland, with another 3,500 affected in northwest England and 900 in south Wales, although most people have now been reconnected.

The gales also caused widespread damage to overhead power and train lines.

The Environment Agency issued 29 flood warnings and 114 flood alerts, mostly in the west of the UK.

In Ireland, the strong winds ripped off part of the roof of Kent railway station in Cork, leaving one passenger with minor injuries.

The roof of Kent railway station in Cork collapsed in the high winds

The roof of a hotel was blown off in Moota, Cumbria, forcing police to close the A595.

Sheffield Wednesday's Championship game against Wigan had to be abandoned in the second half because of a waterlogged pitch and Manchester United's game against Stoke was temporarily halted by a hail storm.

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Breast Cancer Surgery Concerns: Report Published

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

An independent review will be published today into how a breast cancer surgeon was allowed to carry out incomplete mastectomies on hundreds of women.

Ian Paterson performed unregulated "cleavage-sparing" procedures at Solihull Hospital and Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield for 15 years.

The operation leaves breast tissue behind for cosmetic reasons and is against national guidelines.

The independent review, carried out by Sir Ian Kennedy, looked at how the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust responded to concerns raised by staff and patients.

Shirley Moroney's sister Marie Pinfield died following surgery

Kashmir Uppal, from Thompsons solicitors in Birmingham which represents hundreds of patients, said: "He was told to stop carrying out the cleavage-sparing mastectomy in 2007, he gave an undertaking that he would stop but despite that he continued."

An internal report carried out at Solihull Hospital in 2004 highlighted the potential risk of the procedure.

In 2007 there was a review of breast care services at the hospital and Mr Paterson was told to stop performing the operations. However, there is evidence from solicitors suggesting he performed the procedure until 2010.

The NHS Trust said negligent surgery did not cause Ms Pinfield's death

Shirley Moroney's sister Marie Pinfield was operated on twice by Mr Paterson in 2006 and on both occasions he left breast tissue behind.

Ms Pinfield died two years later but the NHS Trust says negligent surgery did not cause her death and her cancer would have returned even with a full mastectomy. 

Ms Moroney believes Mr Paterson had too much power.

"I'd like a cultural change within the NHS that meant that if people were concerned about the way operations were being done that they could have a voice," she said.

"No-one ever questioned him and that's why he was allowed to get away with it as long as he did."

Dr Mark Newbold, chief executive of Heart of England Foundation Trust said: "I would like to re-emphasise that, on behalf of the Trust, I very much regret what has happened to so many women, and our thoughts are with them and their families.

"There is no doubt that mistakes have been made in the past, and this is why since I came into post, have focused on what the patients and staff have been telling us to identify fully what happened and to take every possible action to prevent this from happening again."

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Brits Evacuated From South Sudan Amid Fighting

Britons are being evacuated from South Sudan as fighting spreads through the state after an apparent coup at the weekend.

A plane has been sent to the state to remove more than 150 British citizens who have contacted the Foreign Office wanting to leave the country.

Embassy staff were among those being evacuated although the Foreign Office emphasised that it would be keeping open its embassy in the capital, Juba.

The United Nations has estimated that up to 500 people have been killed in fighting between rival factions following a coup attempt against President Salva Kiir by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.

Some 10 senior government ministers were arrested at the beginning of the week but fighting continues amid increasing political tensions.

South Sudan won its independent from the north in 2011 but has struggled with corruption and ethnic violence since.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that around 20,000 people have taken refuge with the UN in Juba.

The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to within 40km of South Sudan's northern border with Sudan, Jonglei State and Juba, and all but essential travel to the rest of South Sudan.

A spokeswoman said: "A UK aircraft is en route to Juba to evacuate British nationals who wish to leave from Juba airport on Thursday 19 December.

"If you are a British national and you wish to leave Juba you should contact the FCO as soon as possible."

British nationals seeking to leave South Sudan are urged to contact the Foreign Office in London for advice, by calling 0207 008 1500 or by emailing crisis@fco.gsi.gov.uk.

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Reaper Attack HQ: Rare Access To Top Secret Site

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The British military has allowed journalists and cameras into its previously top secret drone operation for the first time.

Access to XIII Squadron, the RAF team that operates the aircraft, was granted after months of negotiation in an attempt at transparency and because the Ministry of Defence is "fed up with the myths".

It is a major step forward in the understanding of a fast developing military asset used by an increasing number of nations and surrounded in controversy.

The UK operation is conducted in a large aircraft hangar deep inside RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, but the drones are flying over Afghanistan many thousands of miles away.

Britain has a range of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) craft

Britain has a range of UAS's - Unmanned Aerial Systems - commonly known as drones, a nickname disliked by the British government.

They range from the very small - palm sized helicopters for hovering and watching at short range - to aircraft the same size of a light aircraft which can fly at 20,000 feet.

The largest and only armed drone in the British fleet is the Reaper. It carries four Hellfire missiles and can strike a target, with precision, from distance.

Britain has five Reapers and a further five on order. The first Reaper operations from UK territory started on April 24 at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

XIII Squadron had previously flown missions in Afghanistan from Creech Air Base in Nevada.

Figures obtained by Sky News under a Freedom of Information request show that RAF Reaper drones have fired 41 missiles between April and November this year. They have also flown 3085.52 hours, an average of 16 each day, in that time.

Despite persistent requests by Sky News and other organisations, the government has not released details of casualties and deaths from drone strikes, insisting it does not collect such data because of the dangers and difficulties in doing so.

XIII Squadron has flown missions over Afghanistan

"As far as we are aware there have been no civilian casualties as a result of those strikes," the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond told Sky News.

"The only RPAS (Remotely Piloted Air System) strike which has involved a civilian casualty that we are aware of, took place in 2011, a regrettable incident but something that could have happened with a manned aircraft."

That incident killed four Afghan civilians in March 2011 when two pick-up trucks were hit - two insurgents also died. A resulting ISAF inquiry found that the drone pilots had followed correct procedures.

The pilots are all experienced and highly trained. Many have come from a career flying fast jets. They must abide by the same rules. A lawyer is on the end of a phone if needed.

One of the pilots, who only wanted to be known by his first name, Col, explained further: "Coming across here and doing the job in exactly the same way as any manned aircraft would do, using the same rules, the same laws of engagements, the same laws of armed conflicts as any other aircraft does, means that we feel entirely comfortable executing force be it from Afghanistan or from here."

The operation is run from a hangar in Lincolnshire

The growing dependence on drones, particularly by the US military, is proving increasingly controversial.

Barack Obama has been accused of prosecuting an unauthorised war in Pakistan by repeatedly using drones to strike against suspected terrorist targets.

"Targets are always positively identified as legitimate military objectives, and strikes are prosecuted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and UK Rules of Engagement," the MoD explained.

"When tasked to attack a target, qualified Reaper pilots can select from two types of precision-guided weapons. They will select the smallest warhead appropriate to the target being attacked, and every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties.

"In some circumstances, this results in attacks being aborted."

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'Some Prisoners Should Be Allowed To Vote'

Prisoners serving short sentences or approaching the end of their time behind bars should be allowed to vote, according to a group of MPs and peers.

The committee said it would be "wholly disproportionate" for the UK to defy a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and said the Government had failed to set out a "plausible" case for maintaining the existing blanket ban.

It called on the Government to table a Bill granting the vote in local, general and European elections to those serving less than 12 months or within six months of release.

Those convicted of particularly serious crimes would remain banned.

However, the panel of MPs and peers was split over the issue, with chairman Nick Gibb and two other MPs arguing that the Government should give Parliament the choice between offering prisoners this restricted franchise or keeping the ban.

The majority recommendation flies in the face of a House of Commons vote in 2011, when MPs voted by an overwhelming 234 to 22 to preserve the ban, in spite of the ECHR ruling that it breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling last year published a draft bill offering MPs three options - giving the vote to prisoners serving less than four years or less than six months or keeping the ban.

But Prime Minister David Cameron told the Commons extending the vote to prisoners would make him "physically ill".

In its report, the joint committee of both Houses set up to consider the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill found Britain was under a "binding international law obligation" to comply with the ECHR ruling and defiance would be "completely unprecedented" and have "grave implications".

The UK is one of only five of the 47 Council of Europe members to ban all convicted prisoners from voting, alongside Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia and Russia.

Granting the vote to those serving less than 12 months was unlikely to affect more than around 7,000 people in any election, said the committee.

It recommended giving inmates postal votes for their home constituencies, and predicted that prisoners' votes were "unlikely to have a bearing on the outcome of elections".

The report's key recommendation was approved by MPs Crispin Blunt (C) and Sir Alan Meale (Lab) and peers Lord Dholakia (Lib Dem), Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen (Lab), Lord Norton of Louth (C) and Lord Peston (Lab).

Alongside Conservative former minister Mr Gibb, Tory MP Steve Brine and Labour's Derek Twigg dissented.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "This is an issue on which Parliament has expressed strong views.

"The Government will consider the report carefully and will respond early next year, setting out how Parliament will be given its say."

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Jayden Parkinson: Police Searching Graveyard

Police looking for missing teenager Jayden Parkinson are focusing their investigation on a churchyard grave.

Thames Valley Police said the search for Jayden had led officers to the grounds of All Saints' Church in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

The 17-year-old girl disappeared on December 3 after she was last seen leaving the town's railway station at about 4.30pm.

Officers are acting on a tip-off and have been in contact with the family of the person buried in the grave.

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray said: "[On Tuesday afternoon] we received some significant and highly relevant information which leads us to concentrate our search efforts in the Great Western Cemetery.

"We're in the process of securing this grave and would like to emphasise that the family connected with this grave have been informed.

Jayden disappeared on December 3

"We will be here throughout the night and for a number of days. A tent has been erected which covers more than the specific grave we are focusing on.

"The families of those in the graves nearby will be contacted by us and reassured that there will be no disturbance to these graves."

Jayden's former boyfriend, 22-year-old Ben Blakeley, of Reading, has appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with her murder and perverting the course of justice.

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also appeared before Oxford magistrates charged with perverting the course of justice between December 3 and December 10 by allegedly assisting in the disposal of Jayden's body and other evidence.

More than 100 uniformed officers and detectives have been working on the case, backed up by specialists from the National Crime Agency.

Police have searched farmland, woodland and derelict buildings

Mr Murray said there was "no indication" that Jayden was alive, and appealed to the public to get in touch if they remembered seeing the teenager "on her own, or in the company of anybody".

He also repeated an appeal for any information about a man seen struggling with a suitcase just outside the village of Upton, near Didcot, in south Oxfordshire, at about 2am, on December 9.

The same man was later then seen with the same suitcase in the Lydalls Road area of Didcot - where All Saints' is located - at about 3.30am.

Detectives have since recovered several suitcases, one of which "may well be significant", Mr Murray said.

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Prison Efforts To Cut Re-Offending 'Not Working'

Efforts made by prisons in England and Wales to cut re-offending are not working, according to an inspection report.

The damning report also claims the majority of prison staff do not understand what is required to meet the targets set under the Government proposals.

A study of 21 prisons by Liz Calderbank, chief inspector of probation, and Nick Hardwick, chief inspector of prisons, found little progress has been made in offender management and a fundamental review is needed.

It comes as the Government rolls out its Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, including plans for a nationwide "through the prison gate" resettlement service, which would see most offenders given continuous support by one provider from custody into the community.

In a joint statement, the chief inspectors said: "We have come to the reluctant conclusion that the offender management model, however laudable its aspirations, is not working in prisons.

"The majority of prison staff do not understand it and the community-based offender managers, who largely do, have neither the involvement in the process or the internal knowledge of the institutions to make it work.

"It is more complex than many prisoners need and more costly to run than most prisons can afford."

They said the pressures facing the Prison Service mean it would be unlikely to deliver future National Offender Management Service (NOMS) expectations.

"We therefore believe that the current position is no longer sustainable and should be subject to fundamental review."

Offender management involves the assessment, planning and implementation of work with offenders in the community or in custody to address the likelihood of them reoffending and the risk of harm they pose to the public.

Community-based offender managers and staff in prison Offender Management Units have joint responsibility for work with prisoners to address the attitudes, behaviour and lifestyle behind their offending.

The inspectors found organisational changes to offender management units failed to address a culture of poor communication or mistrust between prison departments.

It is the third report to be published from the joint Prisoner Offender Management Inspection programme and draws on findings from inspections undertaken between April 2012 and March 2013.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "When two highly respected independent chief inspectors of prisons and probation reveal evidence of failures in offender management across 21 prisons and seek a fundamental review, this must surely act as a wake-up call for government."

Justice minister Jeremy Wright said: "More than 600,000 offences were committed last year by prisoners who had broken the law before - despite a £4bn annual spend on prisons and probation.

"This is unacceptable and it's why we are introducing radical plans for change through our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, which will see all offenders leaving prison receiving targeted through-the-gate support."

:: The following prisons were inspected for the programme: Buckley Hall, Bullingdon, Bullwood Hall, Canterbury, Channings Wood, Drake Hall, Forest Bank, Frankland, Full Sutton, Gloucester, Highpoint, Huntercombe, Leeds, Leyhill, Lewes, Lincoln, Lindholme, Northumberland, Onley, The Verne and Winchester.

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Motor Insurance Premiums Could Be Cut

Car insurance premiums are too high, says the competition watchdog which is to look at ways of reducing them.

The Competition Commission said there could be caps on the cost of accident repairs and providing replacement vehicles for drivers.

The watchdog also said in its provisional report that too many accident repairs were not carried out to the required standard.

And it found the way add-on insurance products were sold made it difficult for customers to find the best-value products.

It said overall the £11bn market was not working well for drivers and believed too many were footing the bill for unnecessary costs incurred during the claims process after an accident.

These costs are initially borne by the insurers of at-fault drivers, but they feed through into increased insurance premiums for all motorists.

The watchdog was also concerned about the relationship between price comparison websites and insurers.

Alasdair Smith, who is leading the investigation, said: "We are now considering a range of possible measures, some of them far-reaching reforms, to ensure that the market better serves the interests of customers."

Mr Smith said that in most cases the party managing the accident claim - typically the non-fault insurer or intermediary - was not the party liable to pay the costs of the claim.

He added: "There is insufficient incentive for insurers to keep costs down even though they are themselves on the receiving end of the problem."

The commission estimates the extra premium costs due to the separation of control and liability on replacement cars and repairs to be between £150m and £200m a year.

It is considering whether to make a driver's own insurer responsible for providing a replacement vehicle or to give at-fault insurers greater opportunity to take control over managing claims.

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Canoe Conman John Darwin Facing Return To Jail

Canoe fraudster John Darwin will be behind bars this Christmas after he was arrested on his return from an unauthorised trip abroad to find a new wife.

The 63-year-old had travelled to the Ukraine and was photographed in November by The Sun newspaper on a date with a local woman.

The 1,500 mile journey from his home in Hartlepool to the town of Sumy was undertaken without the permission of the Probation Service.

He needed its authority to travel because he was still on licence after being sentenced to six years and three months for fraud.

He was released from jail in January 2011, but was required to stick to certain conditions, including not leaving the UK.

Darwin was arrested on Monday at Newcastle Airport as he flew back to Britain, without a new wife.

Darwin's ex-wife Anne was jailed for her part in the couple's deception

A source close to the case indicated that Darwin would be required to complete the rest of his sentence behind bars when the authorities caught up with him.

It is thought he will not be free again until October.

According to reports last month, Darwin and his date, a Ukrainian woman named Anna, enjoyed a two-hour meal assisted by a translator, but the evening was ruined when he was confronted by a reporter.

It was believed Darwin first made contact with the woman over the internet.

Darwin faked his own death in a canoeing accident in 2002 so his then-wife Anne could claim hundreds of thousands of pounds from insurance policies and pension schemes.

The Darwins' scam was uncovered after this snap of them in Panama emerged

The couple, from Seaton Carew, were jailed at Teesside Crown Court in 2008 for the swindle, which deceived the police, a coroner, financial institutions and even their sons, Mark and Anthony.

After faking his own death, Darwin continued to live in secret with his wife before they escaped to Panama to start a new life.

But in December 2007 Darwin walked into a London police station, claiming he had amnesia, and was reunited with his stunned sons.

His wife, then still in Panama, initially also claimed to be surprised - until a photograph emerged of them posing together.

Darwin admitted fraud so received a slightly shorter sentence than Anne, who denied the offences.

They have now divorced.

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Slavery Bill Promises Life Terms For Traffickers

Human traffickers could be given maximum life sentences in jail under new anti-slavery laws published today.

The Modern Slavery Bill contains provisions to give automatic life sentences to offenders who already have convictions for very serious sexual or violent offences.

The draft Bill, announced by Home Secretary Theresa May at the Conservative Party conference in September, pulls together into a single act the offences used to prosecute slave drivers.

It also introduces Trafficking Prevention Orders to restrict the activity and movement of convicted traffickers and stop them from committing further offences.

And a new anti-slavery commissioner will be appointed to hold law enforcement and other organisations to account.

The founder of human trafficking charity Hope for Justice, Ben Cooley, welcomed the move.

He said: "We've learnt from experience that victim welfare is inextricably linked to the prosecution of perpetrators. When victims are supported from rescue right through to the courtroom, their testimonies make all the difference in seeing justice served. Sadly, we don't always see that happen in the UK and Hope for Justice exists to stand in those gaps.

"This Bill is a critical step towards ending slavery in our country but going forwards we must all ensure that victims are supported so they don't disappear on the other side of initial after-care provision just to be re-trafficked."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the legislation should do more to provide protection for child victims of trafficking.

Two-thirds of children found by authorities after being held as slaves go missing again because the system to protect them is not strong enough, Ms Cooper added.

She said: "Failed once by those who betrayed them into slavery, they are failed again by the state in not protecting them. Trafficked children should have access to a trusted and independent advocate, or guardian, who is legally responsible for them and their interests.

"There is a growing coalition of support behind this new policy, from the charities and frontline practitioners to campaigners in Parliament. We need tough action to stop traffickers, but prosecutions will fail, justice will be denied and slavery will continue unless there is more support for victims too."

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Jayden Parkinson: Man Charged With Murder

A 22-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Oxfordshire teenager Jayden Parkinson, police have said.

Ben Blakeley, of Christchurch Road, Reading, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.

He has been remanded in custody to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court later this morning.

A 17-year-old boy, who was also arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody.

Jayden has been missing for nearly two weeks and is thought to have been killed.

She was last seen leaving Didcot Parkway train station, in Oxfordshire, at 4.27pm on December 3 - and did not return home that evening as planned.

The police search is continuing

Specialist search teams backed by helicopters and police dogs have continued searching an area of farmland just outside the village of Upton, near Didcot, where they appear to be focusing on a small patch of woodland near the church.

The police's inquiry team has now grown to more than 100 officers as the force tries to discover what has happened to the teenager.

Oxfordshire police commander Superintendent Christian Bunt said officers were also continuing to sift a grassy area of wasteland in the Lydalls Road area of Didcot.

Residential addresses have also been searched and a recycling bin was earlier removed for further examination.

Supt Bunt thanked the public for their help with the inquiry so far, but urged people not to carry out their own searches as these could prove a risk to the ongoing police investigation.

Jayden was living in a hostel in Oxford before she disappeared

Jayden recently left home in Didcot to live in Oxford.

In a heartfelt plea, her mother Samantha Shrewsbury posted a message on social media site Facebook on Sunday saying: "My baby, my princess, my heart is so heavy, baby girl.

"I just want to see you walk through my door with a 'ta-dar'. I need you little lady, my heart feels so empty without you."

Police have pieced together her movements in the run-up to her disappearance, and believe she walked up Oxford's High Street through the town centre, arriving at the train station at 4.07pm, where she then boarded a train to Didcot.

The very last sighting of her is when she left Didcot train station at about 4.27pm.

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Child Abuse: 42% Rise In Investigations

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

A Sky News investigation has revealed up to one in 20 children in some parts of the country have been the subject of investigations into whether they are victims of abuse or neglect.

In 2012/13 English councils launched 127,060 high-level investigations - known as section 47s - into children thought to be at risk, analysis of official figures shows.

That is the equivalent of one in 100 of the country's entire population of under-18s and represents a 42.3% increase in cases since 2009/10.

In some areas the figure is much higher with the equivalent of 4.5% of children in Blackpool, 2.6% in Doncaster and 2.1% in Peterborough being investigated.

Experts said the significant increase in suspected abuse cases could be explained by the heightened awareness of the issue following the tragic case of Baby Peter Connelly in 2008.

However, they also said the impact of the recession on households had led to a marked rise in ill treatment of children.

The figures follow a series of high-profile cases of child abuse including that of four-year-old Daniel Pelka who was starved, tortured and brutally beaten to death by his mother and stepfather.

Daniel Pelka, four, was a victim of horrific abuse

Ray Jones, professor of social work at Kingston University, told Sky News that economic pressures were linked to abuse and neglect.

He said: "I think we're aware of the dangers more than we were before and I think we're more determined to act on them, but I do think that there are some families who are getting into difficulty now who wouldn't have got into difficulty before because of increasing deprivation and indeed destitution."

Professor Jones warned that social services were increasingly struggling to cope.

"We have a child protection system and a care system where the work has been increasing year on year on year for the last five years and I really am worried about it.

"I'm worried about it because it's at the point of breakdown now, because that's at the time of public sector cuts."

In Blackpool the number of cases being investigated is more four times the national average.

Charlene Downes who went missing in 2003 is presumed dead

In 2011 it emerged that police investigating the disappearance of 14-year-old Charlene Downes in the town had uncovered a gang of men which had groomed 60 underage girls from the area for sex.

Her mother Karen Downes told Sky News: "I was shocked when I first heard about it. I was absolutely disgusted. I didn't have any knowledge at all of any girls being abused.

"We didn't even know about the darker side of Blackpool until all this with Charlene came about."

Richard Scorer, a solicitor who specialises in child abuse cases at the Pannone law firm in Manchester, warned that many cases end up being ignored by social services.

"Cases involving chronic neglect and physical and emotional abuse tend to fall by the wayside or tend to be ignored," he said.

"And I think the other thing that comes out is the difficulties that social services have in monitoring and keeping track of children who are part of a shifting population that moves in and out of the town."

He also warned that cuts could make the situation worse.

'Julie' has an alcoholic mother and has left home several times as a result

"I think this is one of these examples of a situation where we have to decide as a society if we want to take child abuse seriously and we want to deal with it properly then we have to make sure social workers and others have the resources to deal with it properly," he said.

Sky News met several teenage girls in Blackpool who are sleeping rough and refusing to return home.

"Emma", 17, said she had been on the streets since she was 15 and "has her reasons" why she can't go home.

She sleeps in what are known as 20p hotels - toilet cubicles you pay to use.

"It's cold, it's cold as hell. You can like put your bags against the door to stop the draught coming in, but the floor gets so cold," she said.

"And it's scary as well, like every time you hear people go past shouting and that in case they come in or whatever."

"Julie", 18 said she started sleeping rough after an argument with her alcoholic mother when she was 17.

She claimed she was smoking aged seven, drinking by 11 and smoking crack by the time she was 13. 

She also alleged that she was raped by a man who pretended to be her friend and took her in for the night.

"I used to turn up to my lessons under the influence. I used to snort cocaine off my religious studies book right in front of the teacher. I just didn't care," she said.

"(Teachers) always had meetings with my social workers. They just tried to take me away, and then every time they took me away, my mum went to rehab, and then she got clean for a few weeks.

"Then I went back to her, then it all went back downhill again and it just kept repeating itself."

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NHS Chief Calls For Quality Seven-Day Service

Hospitals in England could face multi-million pound fines if they fail to maintain standards seven days a week, the NHS's medical director has warned.

Sir Bruce Keogh is set to announce his recommendations after a year-long inquiry into NHS care, amid concerns over higher death rates for patients treated on Saturdays or Sundays.

He told the Sunday Times a seven-day NHS "would undo more than 50 years of accumulated custom and practice which have failed to put the interests of patients first". 

The obligation to run a full service 24/7 will be written in to hospital trusts' contractual agreements, with breaches leading to potential fines of up to 2.5% on budgets that can be more than £500m.

Sir Bruce will also publish clinical standards, which set out the level of care that patients can expect in any NHS hospital at the weekend.

He added: "Two things are key to this. One is the availability of diagnostic tests at the weekend, because the key to treating somebody is a diagnosis.

"Then you need someone experienced to interpret those tests and to institute the right treatment." 

Sir Bruce plans to end the practice of junior doctors staffing hospitals at weekends without consultants present and hospitals that fail to adapt will face losing the right to use junior doctors altogether.

He said: "Historically at the weekend our service has been delivered largely by junior doctors in training and now we are changing that."

The practice of junior doctors staffing hospitals at weekends could end

The intention is that within three years all patients admitted as an emergency at the weekend will be seen by a consultant within 14 hours.

Those already in hospital at the weekend will have their condition reviewed by a consultant every 24 hours, while routine surgery will be available at weekends for minor conditions such as hernias.

X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI scans will carry on at the same level as during the week, while heart checks, biopsies and blood tests will also be available seven days a week.

The hospital support network of pharmacies, physiotherapy and occupational therapy will run every day.

Sir Bruce said the NHS lacked compassion by failing patients at the weekend. "People are still kept waiting at the weekend for a diagnosis. We have a system that is not built around the convenience of patients and is not compassionate to patients for part of the week.

"Why should somebody have to take time off work, why should someone else have to take time off work to take them to and from hospital, when, if they were to have their operations on a Saturday, they could spend Sunday recovering and, in many cases, get back to work sooner?"

The inquiry team believe the change will cost about 2% of the NHS's annual operating bill of £97bn, but could be less after potential savings.

Blood tests, heart checks and biopsies would be available seven days a week

Critics suggest the cost could be billions more, but Sir Bruce believes the system of having theatres, consulting rooms and recovery wards lying empty at the weekend could be tackled to cut costs.

The BMA said it supports high quality seven-day patient care.

A spokeswoman said: "Doctors firmly believe that patient outcomes should not be affected by what day of the week they fall ill.

"The BMA is in discussions with the Government on how to develop working patterns which deliver more services across seven days while safeguarding the need for a healthy and productive work-life balance for doctors.

"This is a complicated problem which will not be easily resolved by one single 'quick fix' solution."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Patients should be at the heart of the NHS and be able to depend on it every day - not just Monday to Friday.

"I want the NHS to expand to provide seven-day services so that more patients get the right care, when they need it. It is great news that Sir Bruce Keogh will be setting out his plans for the NHS to provide seven day services."

Labour shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "This idea is right in principle but, with the NHS in increasing financial distress, the Government must set out clearly how it will be paid for."

:: Watch NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh live on Sky News at 11am on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602 and Freeview channel 82.

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Jayden Parkinson: Police Launch Murder Inquiry

Police investigating the disappearance of teenager Jayden Parkinson now believe she was murdered.

Jayden, 17, from Oxford, was last seen leaving Didcot Parkway train station at 4.27pm on December 3 - and did not return home that evening as planned.

In a news conference, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murray revealed that police have upgraded the case to a murder investigation and are looking for a man who was seen in an open field near Upton on December 9 at 2am.

"The father in me would like to think that Jayden is still out there, but I'm afraid the detective in me leads me to conclude that Jayden may well have been murdered," said Mr Murray. 

Jayden Parkinson has been missing for 12 days

The man spotted in Upton was carrying a large suitcase in the rural area and notably struggling to "manage" the heavy case.

"This man was having difficulty wheeling that suitcase," said Mr Murray.

He said the same man was seen in Didcot around 30 minutes later with the same suitcase, and police are appealing for sightings of the man or the case. 

The man is described as a white male in his early 20s, with short dark hair and of medium to slim build. 

The case was approximately 3ft long and 2ft wide, likely a pale blue colour, and had an extendable handle and wheels, said Mr Murray. 

A Sky graphic of the man and suitcase based on police descriptions

Police said a recycling bin has been recovered as part of the investigation from the former Crown Pub in Queensway in Didcot. 

An address in Abbott Road, Didcot, is also cordoned off by police while a search is carried out on the property.

Thames Valley Police are currently holding two people - a 22-year-old man and 17-year-old boy - in relation to the case.

Police said earlier this week that the 22-year-old was in a relationship with Jayden. 

Jayden was living with her mother in Didcot until November this year, when she found herself homeless.

Didcot and Upton

The teenager relocated to an Oxford service called One Foot Forward, which offers assisted and supported accommodation for young people.

Police said Jayden has made no financial transactions, or accessed the internet or her phone since she went missing 12 days ago.

A team of 50 detectives are currently assisting with the case and specialist teams will be scouring the Upton area for the next week.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Thames Valley Police on 101 and quote URN 542 10/12, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Lynne Spalding: Lawyer Denies Alcohol Claim

A lawyer for a British woman found dead in a locked stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital is disputing a coroner's report that her death was probably related to "chronic alcohol abuse".

Lynne Spalding, 57, disappeared from her hospital room on September 21 but her body was not found until 17 days later on October 8.

Assistant medical examiner Ellen Moffat said in a new report that the mother-of-two had been dead for days before the discovery and probably died of "a chemical imbalance due to complications from chronic alcohol abuse".

Ms Spalding was confused and delirious on the day she disappeared and she did not know the day or time or even why she was in the hospital, Ms Moffat added.

But attorney Haig Harris insisted Ms Spalding's death was not related to alcoholism and that she had died of starvation or dehydration.

He told the San Francisco Chronicle that the mention of alcoholism "demeans the memory of this woman, without telling us when she died, how long she was out there suffering".

A spokesman for Ms Spalding's family, David Perry, has also denied she had a drinking problem.

Ms Spalding, originally from Peterlee, Co Durham, had been admitted for a bladder or urinary tract infection and arrived at the hospital thin and frail with her children worried about her condition.

Ms Spalding was found dead in a stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital

Although sheriff's deputies at the hospital did a "perimeter search" of the hospital's 24-acre campus within an hour of her disappearance, it was not until September 30 that they attempted a more extensive search of the grounds.

The next day, after it became clear that not all the stairwells used as fire exits had been searched, a supervisor ordered the stairwell searches to continue, yet "only about half the stairwells" ever were, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi said.

Ms Spalding's friends and relatives spent days scouring the streets of the Californian city with flyers because they were "under the assumption that San Francisco General had been searched and Lynne was not here".

On October, 4 a hospital staff member told the sheriff's department that someone had reported seeing a body in a locked stairwell of the building where Ms Spalding had been a patient.

A sheriff's dispatcher told hospital officials the department would respond, but there was "no indication that any one was dispatched to that stairwell".

Ms Spalding had lived in the city for more than 20 years and had two grown-up children, a 19-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter, who both live in the US.

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