Sex Attacker Jailed By Skin Under Nails

A sex attacker has been jailed after being traced by skin cells left under the fingernails of his victim after she fought him off.

John Elam, 44, attempted to rape a university student in Coventry as she walked home in the early hours of the morning.

He pinned the 20-year-old to the ground but she fought him off, clawing at his face with her nails.

Forensics officers were able to extract DNA from skin cells left under her nails and linked Elam to the attack.

He was jailed for four years and ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for life by a judge at Warwick Crown Court after admitting he attempted to rape the woman in an attack on June 22 this year.

Detective Sergeant Jim Edmonds, of West Midlands Police, said: "This is a fantastic example of police using advanced forensic analysis to identify a sex attacker.

"We're talking about microscopic skin cells found under the victim's nails, but that's all we needed to get a positive DNA result pointing to Elam as the prime suspect.

"He initially admitted sexual assault but we felt the seriousness of the attack warranted a stronger charge of attempted rape, and that's what we pushed for, and the evidence we secured against him eventually gave Elam little option but to plead guilty."

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Royal Nurse: Radio Gives £320K To Family Fund

A memorial fund for the family of the dead nurse who was the victim of the royal hoax call has been set up by the radio station responsible for the prank.

Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of radio station 2Day FM, said the remainder of the profits for 2012 should go to a memorial fund to benefit Jacintha Saldhana's family.

The sum is expected to amount to AUS$500,000 (£326,000).

It has also cancelled its Christmas party, saying it would be "inappropriate" to go ahead with the celebrations, and would instead donate the money it would have spent to charity.

Rhys Holleran, SCA's chief executive, said: "We are very sorry for what has happened. It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts continue to be with the family.

"We hope that by contributing to a memorial fund we can help to provide the Saldanha family with the support they need at this very difficult time."

A post-mortem examination on Ms Saldanha, who initially answered the prank call made to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge, is being held today.

Ms Saldanha's family have been left "devastated" by their loss

Ms Saldanha was found dead on Friday days after she was tricked by Australian radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who called the King Edward VII Hospital in central London.

She transferred the presenters, believing they were the Queen and the Prince of Wales, to a colleague who divulged details about Kate's treatment for severe morning sickness.

Ms Saldanha, 46, from Bristol, was found dead in a block of nurses' flats close to the hospital, where she stayed while working in London.

MP Keith Vaz met her family on Monday and said they had been "devastated" by the loss of a "loving mother and a loving wife".

Flanked by Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza and her two teenage children, Mr Vaz said: "They miss her every moment of every day, but they are really grateful to the support of the British public and to the public overseas for the messages of support and kindness."

Mr Vaz has called for the hospital to provide the family with more support and to hold an inquiry.

His criticism came after the DJs broke their silence about the nurse's death.

Interviewed on Australian TV networks, the 2Day FM presenters said there had been a "tragic turn of events no-one could have predicted or expected".

Mr Christian and Ms Greig have spoken emotionally about the tragedy

Police in London have contacted their Australian counterparts with a view to interviewing the pair ahead of an inquest into Ms Saldanha's death.

In response to Mr Vaz's criticism the hospital said its chief executive John Lofthouse had spoken to the nurse's husband on Friday by phone and offered to meet him whenever he wanted.

Under Australian regulations, the permission of anyone on the receiving end of a radio prank must be sought before the call can be broadcast.

The hospital has denied that anyone within its senior management or media unit was contacted.

The radio station insists appropriate checks were conducted before the pre-recorded item was broadcast.

Ms Saldanha was originally from Mangalore in southwest India, according to reports which have named her children as daughter Lisha, 14, and son Junal, 16.

Scotland Yard said the post-mortem would be held at Westminster Mortuary and it was likely an inquest would be opened and adjourned at Westminster Coroner's Court later this week

The Duchess of Cambridge has cancelled an appearance at the UK premiere of The Hobbit tomorrow because of her pregnancy sickness but The Duke of Cambridge will attend.

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Ian McKellen Reveals Prostate Cancer Battle

Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from fighting the goblins of the Misty Mountains, has revealed how he has been battling something closer to home - prostate cancer.

The 73-year-old will be hitting cinema screens across the UK on Friday with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

But Sir Ian, who plays Gandalf the Grey in the Hobbit trilogy, revealed he had been coping with cancer for the past "six or seven" years.

He told the Daily Mirror: "You do gulp when you hear the news. It's like when you go for an HIV test. You go 'Aargh! Is this the end of the road?'"

Sir Ian said his cancer was being monitored to ensure it does not spread.

But he explained: "If it is contained in the prostate it's no big deal.

"Many, many men die from it, but it's one of those cancers that is totally treatable, so I have 'waitful watching'."

Sir Ian returns to the big screen as Gandalf The Grey on Friday

He told the paper the cancer had been contained, it was not spreading and he had not needed any treatment.

Sir Ian also had some advice for people of a similar age - do some exercise, which in his case is pilates.

He said: "I recommend it to anyone of my age because the temptation is not to exercise as you get older. Well you should."

Sir Ian recalled how he was initially undecided about reprising the role of Gandalf following the three Lord Of The Rings films.

But he said: "I didn't want anyone else to play Gandalf. It's mine!"

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Snoopers' Charter: Nick Clegg Urges Re-Think

By Katie Stallard, Media And Technology Correspondent

The Government must go back to the drawing board with its plans for new digital surveillance laws, Nick Clegg has told Sky News.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the coalition should have a fundamental rethink about the draft Communications Data Bill, dubbed the Snoopers' Charter by opponents.

He was responding to a critical cross-party report from MPs and peers who studied the proposals and accused the Government of using "fanciful and misleading" figures to justify them.

The Joint Committee also declared that the breadth of the draft bill would be "overkill".

Mr Clegg said: "Their report makes a number of serious criticisms - not least on scope; proportionality; cost; checks and balances; and the need for much wider consultation.

"It is for those reasons that I believe the coalition Government needs to have a fundamental rethink about this legislation. We cannot proceed with this bill and we have to go back to the drawing board."

Nick Clegg wants a rethink but Theresa May insists there can be no delay

The Joint Committee questioned the scope of the measures, which would see records kept of all internet and mobile phone communications for 12 months, regardless of whether the individual was suspected of a crime.

Details of emails, internet phone calls and activity on social networking sites would be stored, but not the message content.

Lord Blencathra, who chaired the committee, concluded: "There is a fine but crucial line between allowing our law enforcement and security agencies access to the information they need to protect the country and allowing our citizens to go about their daily business without a fear, however unjustified, that the state is monitoring their every move.

"Whilst the Joint Committee realise that there are specific data types which are not currently available, and which would aid the work of law enforcement bodies and the security services, we are very concerned at how wide the scope of the Bill is in its current form."

The committee also criticised the level of consultation with service providers, who would be required to gather the data, and questioned whether the sums added up.

The report said they expected the overall cost to the taxpayer to exceed the £1.8bn estimate by a "considerable margin", and that the Home Office figure for estimated benefits was "even less reliable".

"The estimated net benefit figure is fanciful and misleading. It ought not to be used to influence parliament in deciding on the relative advantages and disadvantages of this legislation," it said.

Nick Pickles, from the campaign group Big Brother Watch, told Sky News: "The committee has exposed weak evidence, misleading statements and fanciful figures, and unanimously rejected this draft Bill's proposal to monitor everyone's emails, web visits and social media messages.

"The complexity and sensitivity of the subject required a radically different process and a totally different bill."

Home Secretary Theresa May insists the legislation is needed to keep up with advances in technology and bring the law up to date.

"Countries across the world are taking action now to help them track paedophiles and terrorists who abuse new technology to plot their horrific crimes. We must not get left behind," she wrote in The Sun.

"I will not allow these vitally important laws to be delayed any longer in this Parliament. This law is needed and it is needed now. And I am determined to see it through."

Conservative Security Minister James Brokenshire played down the coalition rift.

"There are always differences in coalition, that's what coalition is about, but we are intent on working this through because this matters," he said.

"This is about saving lives and protecting the public and that is our absolute focus - on getting it right."

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Northern Rock To Refund £270m To Customers

Northern Rock Asset Management (NRAM) - the state-owned part of the defunct lender - is to refund a total of £270m to customers.

The bank will pay an average of £1,775 to each affected customer after failing to disclose information in documents and letters in 2008.

The Chancellor told Parliament that 152,000 customers who had loans below £25,000 were affected and blamed "an error originating in 2008 when Northern Rock was in public ownership".

"Some customers with certain types of mainly unsecured personal loans were not given all the mandatory information in their statements which they were entitled to by law," George Osborne added.

The chief executive of UK Asset Resolution - NRAM's holding company - Richard Banks said: "We are determined to do the right thing for customers and the taxpayer.

"We will be writing to all customers who are affected and advising them on next steps."

Northern Rock was split into two separate companies in 2010 – Northern Rock plc, which was sold to Virgin Monday earlier this year, and NRAM.

At the height of the financial crisis, the troubled bank was forced to rely on funding from the Bank of England to keep it from collapsing

Treasury Economic Secretary Sajid Javid said the refunds are "likely to increase public sector net borrowing for 2012/2013."

But he added that they are "not expected to delay materially" the timings of NRAM's repayment of £19.6bn Government funding.

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Libor Scandal: UK Police Make Three Arrests

The Serious Fraud Office has made three arrests as part of its investigation into the manipulation of the interbank lending rate, Libor.

Its statement read: "Today the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), with the assistance of the City of London Police, executed search warrants at three residential premises" - one in Surrey and two in Essex.

"Three men, aged 33, 41 and 47, have been arrested and taken to a London police station for interview in connection with the investigation into the manipulation of Libor."

It concluded: "The men are all British nationals currently living in the United Kingdom."

Major UK banks declined to comment on the development but Sky sources have suggested that one of the people detained used to work as a trader at the Swiss bank UBS, which has a big presence in the City.

The SFO's criminal inquiry began in July when it decided existing legislation gave it the scope to bring potential prosecutions.

While the identities of those arrested and their employers are not known at this stage, it is known that the SFO's inquiry has been wide-ranging and not limited to Barclays - the only UK bank so far to have been fined in connection with the scandal.

Bob Diamond quit Barclays after its £290m fine came to light

The £290m penalty inflicted on Barclays preceded the departure of its chief executive Bob Diamond and forced the British Bankers' Association to signal it would abandon its responsibility for oversight of Libor amid a clamour among politicians for reform.

Libor, which stands for London interbank offered rate, affects more than £350trn in global transactions and the rates created through the submissions bear a heavy influence in the calculation of a host of financial products including mortgages.

The City regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has been working closely with the SFO in its investigation.

A review of Libor by the FSA's boss Martin Wheatley has suggested a new body be created to oversee Libor with the rates set being based more on actual trades rather than just banks' own estimates.

Around 16 financial institutions have been investigated worldwide over alleged Libor rigging - including a total of three based in Britain.

Taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland has previously said it hopes to settle any claims over Libor manipulation soon and warned that potential penalties could be significant.

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Census: Rise In Immigrants Boosts Population

There has been a large rise in the number of migrants living in England and Wales, according to the results of the 2011 census.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the population of England and Wales now stands at 56.1 million people - a rise of 3.7 million since 2001.

Some 55% of the growth - around 2.1 million people - was due to migration from outside the country.

The number of foreign-born residents has increased to 13%, from 4.6 million to 7.5 million.

In London one person in three was born abroad, compared to the North East where the figure is one in 20.

The majority of those from abroad come from India, Poland and Pakistan. Poland is a new addition to the top ten of where people came from and did not feature at all in the last census in 2001.

Dr Scott Blinder, deputy director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said there had been "a very noticeable change in the population of England and Wales" over the last decade.

It is the second major tranche of information to be revealed from the 2011 census, covering topics including ethnicity, country of birth, religion, health and housing.

The data also shows there has been a big fall in the number of people who consider themselves to be Christian.

Numbers dropped by four million over the past decade - from 37.3 million in 2001 to 33.2 million last year.

There was a 10% increase in those stating "no religion".

The census shows the make up of the population is changing

The British Humanist Association (BHA) described the increase in the number of non-religious people - from 15% in 2001 to 25% last year - as an "astounding" 67% relative rise.

But it said the figures did not offer a complete picture when it came to the number of practising Christians living in England and Wales.

The census also shows 86% of people recorded their ethnicity as white, a fall on 2001. It remains the majority ethnic group in all areas apart from London.

All other ethnic groups grew over the 10 years since 2001.

Two million respondents listed their partners or fellow household members as being of different ethnic groups - 47% more than in 2001.

The number of people claiming to have mixed ethnicity almost doubled, up by 563,000.

Some 91% of respondents to the 2011 census claimed to speak English. Just 4% of households had no English speaking residents.

The statistics also offer a snapshot of how people live.

Since 2001, the proportion of people owning properties through a mortgage or loan has decreased from 39% to 33% but the number of people who own homes outright increased from 29% to 31%.

Ownership of cars and vans has also gone up - increasing by 3.4 million to 27.3 million, a rise of 14%.

Last year there was an average of 12 cars for every 10 households - up on 11 cars per 10 households in 2001.

London was the only region where the number of vehicles was lower than the number of households.

Four out of five people claimed to be in good health.

The questionnaire was sent to around 26 million households in England and Wales on March 27 last year.

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Gay Marriage: Mixed Reaction To New Plans

Gay weddings in the Churches of England and Wales will be explicitly banned under new laws on same-sex marriage, the Government has announced.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said other religious organisations would be able to "opt in" and offer weddings to homosexual couples.

David Cameron has backed the idea of gay marriage in church but Mrs Miller said there was too much opposition.

Unveiling the Government's plans in the Commons, she promised that religious freedom would be protected via a "quadruple lock".

As well as the ban for the established churches, it will be illegal to force a religious organisation or individual to conduct a gay wedding or allow it to happen on their premises.

It will also be unlawful for organisations or ministers to let such a marriage go ahead unless their governing body has expressly opted in.

And the Equality Act will be altered so that a discrimination claim cannot be brought where there is a refusal to marry a same-sex couple.

Mrs Miller said she would now continue to consult on how best to implement the Government's plans in legislation to be introduced early in the new year.

"I am absolutely clear that no religious organisation will ever be forced to conduct marriages for same-sex couples, and I would not bring in a Bill which would allow that," she said.

MP Stewart Jackson: This is a mistake

She told MPs that the changes would allow equality and faith to co-exist "without threat or challenge to each other" and ensure "marriage remains a vibrant institution".

But Tory backbenchers called for the plans to be postponed until after the next election and insisted there was no public majority in favour of allowing gay couples to wed.

Conservative MP Nick Herbert, who is openly gay, was heckled when he declared he backed the Government and agreed that the proposal had "widespread support in the country".

Fellow Tory Peter Bone shouted out "no it doesn't" and his colleague Sir Roger Gale later said letters from his constituents suggested 98% were opposed. 

Mrs Miller insisted that the plans struck "the right balance" between protecting religious freedom and giving same-sex couples the same chance to marry as heterosexuals.

"For some, this is contentious, a radical reform or indeed a reform too far," she said. "But the historical facts show that over the generations marriage has had a long history of evolution.

"For me, extending marriage to same-sex couples will strengthen, not weaken, this vital institution."

The Culture Secretary added: "I would never introduce a Bill which encroaches or threatens religious freedoms."

Shadow equalities minister Yvette Cooper said: "Those who argue marriage should never change are out of touch with public feeling."

As many as 130 Tory backbenchers are against the plans and could oppose Mr Cameron, who has pledged to offer a free vote on the issue.

Earlier Stewart Jackson, MP for Peterborough, told Sky News: "I believe this is a mistake. It's a very divisive issue and an unnecessary piece of legislation.

"It is fundamentally an un-Conservative policy and if (Prime Minister David Cameron) presses ahead with this it will be a disaster for the party and the country."

Gay rights campaigners welcomed the move but critics accused ministers of ignoring a petition signed by 500,000 opponents, calling it "disgraceful".

Colin Hart, campaign director of the Coalition For Marriage, claimed: "There were serious flaws with the consultation.

"Not only was it loaded in favour of ripping up the centuries-old definition of marriage, but lacked even the most basic of safeguards to check the identity of those taking part."

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Belfast Flag Protest Riots 'A Disgrace'

Rioters have been warned against "holding Belfast to ransom" after a petrol bomb attack on a police officer by suspected loyalists which is being treated as attempted murder.

A gang of 15 men targeted, surrounded and smashed the unmarked vehicle on Monday night outside the offices of Alliance Party MP Naomi Long in Newlands Road.

It was the worst incident in another night of violence in parts of east and south Belfast involving loyalists who took to the streets again in protest against a decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said that while the matter was a sensitive issue, the clashes would not be tolerated.

"There can be absolutely no excuse or justification for this kind of thuggish and lawless behaviour," she said.

"It is a disgrace. We condemn it unreservedly and it should stop immediately.

"...Those people engaged in the kind of violence we have seen in the past few days are not defending the Union flag. They are dishonouring and shaming the flag of our country.

"There is nothing remotely British about what they are doing. They discredit the cause that they claim to support."

A car set alight in the Newtownards area over the weekend

Police Service Of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said the officer was lucky to escape with her life.

"This was a planned attempt to kill a police officer which also put the lives of the public in danger and it is fortunate there were no injuries," he said.

Officers were also attacked with petrol bombs in south Belfast close to the M1.

More talks are planned later between Peter Robinson, the Northern Ireland First Minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, and Mike Nesbitt, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

They will try to agree some sort of political strategy to ease tensions and end the violence.

It follows a meeting in Belfast on Monday between the pair, who have been heavily criticised by nationalists over their leadership since the trouble flared a week ago.

The Alliance Party has been the focus of loyalist anger

Ms Long's Alliance Party has been blamed by loyalists for supporting the nationalist SDLP and Sinn Fein in pushing the vote through Belfast City Council to lower the flag.

She said: "If Northern Ireland is to move forward then we need a strict adherence to the rule of law and respect for the democratic process. We need this urgently before lives are lost."

Mr Robinson said: "The attempted murder of a police officer in East Belfast was a despicable act of terror.

"The masked men responsible do not act in the name of our Union Flag. They are bringing shame on it. My prayers are with the police officers at the centre of this attack."

There were also protests in Limavady, Co Londonderry, Ballyclare, Co Antrim, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, and Cookstown, Co Tyrone, where the car of a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Ian McCrea, was surrounded by angry loyalists.

PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said some of the violence was intense - and there was clearly some paramilitary involvement.

:: Witnesses have been urged to contact police at Strandtown on 0845 600 8000 or through the confidential Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.

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Woman Gives Birth In Rescue Helicopter

A woman has given birth in a helicopter taking her to hospital from her remote island home.

The drama happened after the woman, from Unst in the far North of Scotland, went into labour in the early hours.

Shetland Coastguard received a call from her doctor at 4.30am, asking about ferry times from the island.

It was decided to send a helicopter which landed 90 minutes later - but not soon enough, as it turned out.

The woman was quickly put on board but minutes after the helicopter took off she started to give birth.

It was left to paramedic Marcus Wigfull, who had only ever visited maternity wards during his training, to deliver the child.

"To be honest, I wasn't nervous," he said.

"It all happened so quickly and my training just kicked in. It all went very smoothly.

"We knew we had about a 15 to 20-minute transfer time to the hospital.

"But within five minutes of bringing the mother on board we realised we weren't going to make it (in time)."

The baby was born at 6.30am above a small island called Lunna Holm.

Alex Dodge, watch manager at Shetland Coastguard, said: "This is the first time that a baby has been delivered on the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Sumburgh.

"We would like to congratulate the mother and father on the birth of their son, who is reported to be doing well."

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