Footballers In Court Over Sex Assault Claims

A group of footballers took pictures of themselves sexually assaulting a drunken 19-year-old woman, the Old Bailey has heard.

The Brighton and Hove Albion players wanted to have "a permanent record of their conquest", jurors were told.

The four sportsmen took the young woman back to their hotel room and assaulted her after celebrating victory for their club in the Sussex Senior Cup, it was alleged.

Anton Rodgers, the 19-year-old son of Brendan Rodgers, manager of Liverpool FC, Lewis Dunk, 21, George Barker, 21, and former team-mate Steve Cook, 21, who now plays for Bournemouth, all deny sexual assault.

The four also deny voyeurism.

Anton Rodgers arrrives at court, accompanied by his father, Brendan

The offences are said to have happened at the Jury's Inn Hotel in Brighton in July 2011.

Richard Barton, prosecuting, said: "This case concerns how a group of young professional footballers, intoxicated after a night out together celebrating a cup final victory, took advantage of a young woman, who herself was intoxicated and who was obviously in a vulnerable condition.

"After taking her back to a hotel room, they waited until she had fallen asleep, and so was unable to resist, and then sexually assaulted her in a deliberately humiliating way.

"Her dress was pulled up, exposing her body ...

"They compounded the humiliation by taking photographs of themselves doing so in order to have a permanent record of their conquest."

He added: "They did so for their own gratification, intending to share the photographs between themselves and they may have done so to share with others at their football club.

"These were the actions of a group of arrogant young men labouring under the misguided belief that, by reason of their privileged position, they could with impunity take advantage of a young woman in this way, because even if she realised what they had done to her, she would not dare report it."

He said the teenager - described as chatty and bubbly - did not tell police for six months "through fear of repercussions".

She finally made a complaint after being "repeatedly taunted" about the incident by another footballer at the club.

The families of the accused, including Rodgers' father, were in the public gallery as the case was opened.

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TweetDeck: Twitter Bosses Sent Closure Letter

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

Sky News has obtained a letter sent to one of Twitter's UK companies by the business regulator, giving it written warning of impending closure.

Cardiff-based Companies House sent the letter to the two American directors of TweetDeck, at their registered London address.

The letter, dated January 22, stated: "The Registrar of Companies gives notice that, unless cause is shown to the contrary, at the expiration of 3 months from the above date the name of TweetDeck Ltd will be struck off the register and the company will be dissolved."

The letter sent by Companies House on January 22

The two directors are also top executives of the social media giant's San Francisco-based parent firm, Twitter Inc.

Dick Costolo is the social media giant's chief executive and Alex Macgillivray is general counsel and head of trust and policy.

TweetDeck is a platform used by 'power users' of Twitter and helps integrate the programme with other social media platforms, but has repeatedly failed to file compulsory accounts.

It was bought from British founder Iain Dodsworth in May 2011 for a reported £25m, but has not filed any accounts to Companies House since that time.

TweetDeck missed account filing deadlines last September and again last month.

In December Sky News revealed that both of the social media giant's British firms, TweetDeck and Twitter UK Ltd, had been fined £375 each by Companies House for separate filing oversight.

Twitter UK, which is controlled through a Dublin-based parent firm, subsequently filed its abbreviated accounts for 2011, revealing a profit of £16,500.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo (l) and general counsel Alex Macgillivray

But TweetDeck has still not delivered accounts and has now been fined £750 and is now at heightened risk of closure and legal action.

According to Companies House, more than 2.7 million firms are actively registered and 99.1% are up to date in their filings.

Approached by Sky News, Twitter Inc declined to address the issue of continued regulatory filing problems in Britain.

Asked if it had plans to wind-down its UK subsidiary, a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement: "TweetDeck gives the Twitter experience more flexibility and allows advanced users to gain valuable insight into what's happening at this moment on Twitter.

"The TweetDeck team has been steadily innovating and improving the product, and we expect to see much more of that to come."

Last week Companies House informed the London Gazette of "a proposal to strike off" TweetDeck from the register.

TweetDeck has failed to file its compulsory accounts

The London Gazette is the official Government journal of record and allows officials at HM Revenue and Customs, along with creditors, to see firms at risk of being dissolved.

There is no suggestion TweetDeck has any outstanding tax liability.

Corporate solicitor Maung Aye, of Mackrell Turner Garrett, told Sky News: "Global companies usually have procedures in place to prevent problems like this arising in the first place. There should be clear lines of communication between the directors of the company and its professional advisors who would liaise with the directors to ensure the company's accounts are filed on time.

"At this stage it is unclear why the company has not filed its accounts. One possibility is that the company is in financial difficulty and is therefore not opposing the striking off action."

Mr Aye added: "I would however, expect the directors of the company to be advised that they should respond to the letters from the Registrar, in order to avoid any potential criminal liability and the company being fined."

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London House Fire: Two Dead In North Finchley

Two people have been found dead after a fire at a house in north London early this morning.

Six fire engines and around 35 firefighters as well as several police officers were called to the blaze in Fallow Court Avenue, North Finchley.

Police said the cause of the deaths was "unexplained".

They were described by a neighbour as an elderly couple who lived in separate flats on the two storeys of the house.

The neighbour, who called herself Sheila, said: "She was a lovely woman. I think husband and wife lived separately. Her husband lived in the top flat. They had two flats.

The blaze happened in Fallow Court Avenue.

"There was a lot of fire brigade and ambulance ... they wouldn't tell me. I went to the neighbours' house. I couldn't do anything. I just sat in the lounge."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, a male and a female.

"Enquiries continue and the fire is being treated as unexplained."

London Fire Brigade said the fire affected around three quarters of the ground floor and half of the first floor, as well as the staircase and roof of the semi-detached house.

Firefighters found the body of the woman in the kitchen and the body of the man in a first-floor bedroom.

No-one else is understood to have been in the property at the time of the blaze.

It took firefighters around two hours to extinguish the flames.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "The brigade was called at 6.06am and the fire was under control by 8.09am.

"Crews from Finchley, Southgate, Barnet and Hornsey fire stations were at the scene."

The cause is under investigation by London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police.

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Bali: Death Penalty For British Drug Smuggler

British woman Lindsay Sandiford has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling on the Indonesian island of Bali.

The 56-year-old grandmother, originally from Redcar, Teesside, had been found guilty of violating the country's strict drug laws.

Sandiford was arrested in May 2012 at Bali airport when customs officers found 3.8kg of cocaine worth £1.6m in her luggage. She claimed she had been forced to smuggle the drugs into Bali from Thailand by a criminal gang.

Prosecutors announced in December that they would be recommending a 15-year prison sentence, after she agreed to co-operate in a sting operation in which police swooped on four other suspects alleged to be her accomplices, including Britons Rachel Dougall, Julian Pounder and Paul Beales. 

Sandiford is consoled by her sister Hilary Parsons after being sentenced

Pounder is accused of receiving the drugs in Bali, where cocaine and ecstasy are often bought and sold between foreign nationals. A verdict is expected in his trial on Wednesday.

Delivering Sandiford's verdict, a judge panel headed by Mr Amser Simanjuntak said that Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government's programme of drug annihilation.

Composed: Sandiford rose to her feet during her sentencing

"We find Lindsay Sandiford convincingly and legally guilty of importing narcotics. We found no reason to lighten her sentence," said Mr Simanjuntak.

In her witness statement, Sandiford said: "I would like to begin by apologising to the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian people for my involvement.

"I would never have become involved in something like this but the lives of my children were in danger and I felt I had to protect them."

Local journalist Amelia Rose was in court when Sandiford was sentenced.

"She was in shock, but she managed to hold her composure and stand up while the judge read out her sentence," she said.

"Her eyes turned red from tears for a second but she managed to hold her composure again.

"There is still a long way to go before an execution can take place. She can appeal to the High Court then the Supreme Court in Jakarta. If she can present new evidence she can have a judicial review.

Tears: the grandmother looked shocked as the verdict was read out

"Then there is also the chance of clemency with the President."

Sandiford's defence lawyer, Esra Karo-Karo, said: "She was very shocked. This is unpredicted, she never thought of receiving the death penalty.

"The judge did not even consider our reason for leniency as we proposed in our defence. We will appeal."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm that a British national is facing the death penalty in Indonesia.

Caught: Sandiford was paraded in front of journalists after she was charged

"We remain in close contact with that national and continue to provide consular assistance and the UK remains strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.

"We will intervene at whatever stage and level is judged appropriate and will use high-level political lobbying when necessary".

Dougall, whose young daughter is reportedly being cared for by their maid and gardener on the island, has claimed she was the victim of a "fit-up".

Reprieve, a charity which seeks to enforce human rights for prisoners, said Sandiford was targeted by drug traffickers.

Happier times: Sandiford in her forties

Spokeswoman Harriet McCulloch said: "Lindsay was targeted by drug traffickers who exploited her vulnerability and made threats against her children.

"Following her arrest, she was interrogated by the Indonesian police without a translator, legal representation or the assistance of the British Embassy for 10 days.

A statement by Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, an expert on the coercion of women in the international drug trade, was also read out, which suggested that Sandiford's "vulnerability" would have made her an ideal target for drugs traffickers. 

"There is evidence to suggest that a trafficker would seek someone who was vulnerable. Having reviewed extracts from Lindsay's medical records I know that Lindsay has a history of mental health issues.

"This may have unfortunately made her an attractive target for threats, manipulation and coercion by one or more parties over a period of time, which led to her being stopped at Ngurah Rai International Airport".      

Co-accused: Paul Beales (L), Rachell Dougall and Julian Ponder

At the end of 2011 there were 13 British nationals sentenced to death and awaiting execution, and approximately 40 British prisoners facing charges that may attract the death penalty.

Indonesia has 114 prisoners on death row, according to a March 2012 study by Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy. Five foreigners have been executed since 1998, all for drug crimes, according to the institute.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has granted clemency to four drug offenders on death row since he took office in 2004.     

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HMV: Hilco Throws Lifeline To Retail Chain

Retail restructuring group Hilco UK has acquired the debt of HMV, effectively giving it control of the administrator-managed entertainment chain.

The debt purchase has been taken from the books of the struggling retail chain's lenders, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds.

HMV's net debt last October stood at £176m.

During the debt negotiations HMV was set to remain under control of the administrators from Deloitte and not transfer to Hilco.

However Hilco's debt purchase means a route to rescue is now available, and  may save thousands of jobs.

Hilco had earlier been appointed to work alongside Deloitte to assist it in running the business.

Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman first revealed details of gift cards and vouchers being honoured again by HMV, following a public outcry.

Deloitte announced the U-turn on Monday that HMV would resume selling vouchers cards to customers.

Controversy had surrounded the administrators' decision to ban redemptions of vouchers when Deloitte was appointed on January 14, despite the fact that they had been on sale until hours before the chain's collapse.

HMV's lifeline comes amid shudders on the high street as successive chains face closure.

This month alone, Jessops, Blockbuster and HMV have all called in administrators.

Late last year electricals chain Comet also announced it was calling in the accountants.

The hardest hit firms have been those that lack price competitiveness to online retailers.

Blockbuster has also struggled to offer alternatives to the convenience of online streaming of video.

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Ecstasy: Police Warning After Third Death

By Nick Martin, North Of England Correspondent

Police in northwest England are warning drug users that a possible contaminated batch of ecstasy tablets could be on the streets.

It comes after two men died in Greater Manchester and another collapsed and died in Liverpool.

Up to six other people were admitted to hospital with symptoms including shaking, shivering and complaints of a fever.

Detective Chief Inspector Howard Millington from Wigan CID, talking about the men who died in Greater Manchester, said: "We are very concerned at how these deaths of two apparently fit young men have occurred.

"It is possible that they are linked and this is something we are exploring as part of the investigation.

"Our main concern is that there may be a contaminated quantity of illegal drugs and if this goes unchecked it could result in further deaths.

Jordan Chambers, 19, who died in Manchester on Saturday

"If you are suffering adverse effects after taking one of these tablets I would advise you to go to hospital for a check up.

"I would always urge people not to take illegal drugs and remind them that you do not know what they have been made up with. They can contain poisons and illicit chemicals that can have potentially fatal effects."

The ecstasy tablets are said to be heart-shaped in purple, green, yellow and blue.

One of the men was admitted to Wigan Infirmary on Monday (pic:David Long)

Greater Manchester Police have urged anyone who may have purchased such pills to contact them.

Superintendent Andrea Jones, said the men are believed to have bought the drugs in the Wigan area.

"These deaths were closely linked, both had taken drugs prior to admitting themselves to hospital.

"We want to raise awareness in the community of the risks and dangers of taking illegal drugs. No one knows what poisons these drugs contain."

The men who died in Greater Manchester were 19-year-old Jordan Chambers, who was treated at the Royal Oldham Hospital on Sunday and 28-year-old Gareth Ashton, who died at Wigan Infirmary on Monday. Both had similar symptoms.

Deadly: the batch of ecstasy pills are known to be heart-shaped (file pic)

In Liverpool, a 26-year-old man collapsed and died in the early hours of Sunday. Merseyside Police believe it was also drugs related.

Greater Manchester Police are not currently linking his death to the two in their region, but said they could not discount a connection.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: "Emergency services were called at about 3.30am to a guest house in Tuebrook to a report that a male guest was unwell and had collapsed. Paramedics attended and the 26-year-old was taken to hospital where he unfortunately died a short time later.

"Although the investigation is in the early stages it appears that the deceased man visited Liverpool on Saturday and is believed to have taken tablets, possibly ecstasy somewhere in the city."

Anyone with information has been urged to phone police on 0161 856 7149 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Ian Terry Death: Manchester Police Plead Guilty

By Mike McCarthy, North Of England Correspondent

The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police Peter Fahy has pleaded guilty on behalf of the force to a criminal charge following the death of an officer.

PC Ian Terry, 32, died after being shot in the chest by a blank round during a training exercise in June 2008. 

The father of two from Burnley, Lancashire, had not been wearing body armour as the unit practised in a disused factory in Newton Heath.

The officer's widow Joanne was at Liverpool Crown Court to hear the chief constable admit "systemic failure" by the police in Manchester.

The case was brought by the Health and Safety Executive after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to press charges.

An inquest in March 2010 found that PC Terry was unlawfully killed.

The Greater Manchester force will be sentenced in March this year.  The court heard that Mr Fahy was not with the Manchester force during the time of the officer's death but accepted "organisational failures".

Two police training officers identified only by the pseudonyms 'Francis' and 'Eric' pleaded not guilty to breaches of Health and Safety law.

They were granted anonymity and made their pleas from behind a specially erected screen.

Their case has been adjourned to a trial date in June.

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Flood Fears As Rain Follows Cold Snap

Disruption to airports and traffic networks is continuing as more snow sweeps parts of the UK, but the cold snap could turn into potential flooding later in the week.

Fresh snow will hit parts of the UK overnight with South and east Wales, southern England and the Midlands seeing the worst of the flurries, which will fall on top of snow still frozen after several days of cold weather.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said frost would be replaced by heavy rain later in the week, which could cause flooding when combined with the melting snow.

"This weekend should see an end to the cold spell with temperatures slowly lifting as the winds swing around to the west or southwest," she said.

"Some snow is likely as the first in a series of fronts sweeps during Friday, but this should turn to rain during Saturday.

"Further bands of rain and strong winds are set to follow. Heavy rain, plus melting snow, will bring a risk of flooding."

It is not yet known exactly where the flooding could occur, but the parts of the UK affected by the recent heavy snow could be hit.

The severe weather has so far claimed the lives of three people, including postman John Bircham who died while carrying out his rounds during the weekend's freezing temperatures in Somerset.

Temperatures dropped as low as -12.2C (10F) on Monday night in eastern and southern parts of England, according to the Met Office.

The snow is expected to ease from the south on Tuesday

Cambridge was the coldest place, reaching  -12.2C, followed by Andrewsfield in Essex (-11.1C/12F), Cavendish in Suffolk (-10.6C/12.9F), Rothamstead in Hertfordshire (-10.4C/13.2F) and Marham in Norfolk (-10.3C/13.4F)

The warmest place on Monday was St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, which reached 4.7C (40.4F).

Yellow weather warnings are in place for ice and snow across parts of South Wales and western England, urging people to "be aware" of the icy conditions.

Amber warnings, meaning people should "be prepared", remain in place for heavy snow across the higher ground of northeast England and eastern Scotland.

Wales, the South West and the West Midlands bore the brunt of the weather overnight.

Several hundred Welsh schools were closed as snow continued to disrupt work and travel across the country.

Icy conditions also forced the temporary closure of the northbound A38(M) Aston Expressway, which links Birmingham city centre with the M6, during Tuesday morning's rush-hour.

More than 100 schools were closed in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Staffordshire.

A yellow warning is in place in Langley, Cheshire

Almost 40 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow on Tuesday, the airport said.

The wintry conditions saw Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster closed, along with the runway at East Midlands Airport. Leeds Bradford Airport was also closed for a short period while snow was cleared.

Passengers were advised to check the status of their flights before travelling.

As winter tightened its icy grip last week on the UK over the past week, the far southwest of England had been left largely untouched.

But many parts of Cornwall reported snowfall overnight, with the council announcing that several schools had delayed opening times to allow the roads to thaw and giving teachers, staff and pupils safe access to the grounds.

A handful of schools in the exposed Bodmin Moor area of the county decided against opening at all, as reports of ungritted rural roads made it difficult for people to get in.

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Defence Cuts: 5,300 Soldiers To Lose Jobs

Do Defence Cuts Weaken Britain?

Updated: 3:30pm UK, Tuesday 22 January 2013

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

There is really just one question to consider when analysing the announcement of the latest defence cuts: will the resulting military be capable of defending Britain against any threat?

Defence of the realm is of course no longer dogfights over Dover or cannon balls in the Channel.

The threat to the UK comes from global terrorism, groups that operate in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, North Africa … the list goes on.

The threat is now terrorism not invasion, although that should go without saying.

Defence is now achieved through attack - that is how the US and its allies approached the threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. They went in to seek out the enemy post 9/11.

This article is not the place to get into a debate over the success or otherwise of that intervention but I use it as an example because that kind of approach is how future threats will be addressed, whether in the Middle East, Africa or wherever

Of course, governments would prefer operations to play out along the lines of the Libyan conflict - in and out within months, objective achieved, loss of life minimal.

But a government can hardly shape its armed forces using that model as its guide. It is too perfect and war is never perfect.

And so while we are considering all of this we have the perfect hypothesis - Mali.

The threat in Mali has been apparent for sometime, but French intervention came somewhat out of the blue.

And that highlights an important point: Britain's armed forces need to be ready for the unexpected.

My instinct remains that the UK government will resist temptation or requests to send troops to bolster the French effort. That continues to be the firm government line.

If there is one caveat though, then it would be to reiterate the point that conflicts are fluid.

What starts out as being a stubborn political position can quickly change as a war progresses.

Britain is providing logistical support and I would expect transport aircraft like the C-17s to remain on loan for a little longer.

Intelligence gathering is also an area that Britain could help with, and I believe it will.

It would be no surprise if a Sentinel aircraft leaves its base at RAF Waddington to provide eyes and ears 40,000ft above West Africa for example.

But there simply is not the public or political appetite to get involved in a big way right now, and neither is there the budget.

The threat posed by insurgents in Mali and terrorists in Algeria is of very great concern to the UK government, but they want this to remain a French issue with British help on the fringes.

What if the Kenyan or Nigerian governments ask Britain for support at some point in the future, in the way the Malian government turned to the French?

Then the UK would be hard pushed to keep its distance. What if Syria or Iran demands international military intervention some time down the line?

It is against these prospects that the redundancies must be judged. And we should not just focus on job losses - budget restraints affect equipment too.

Much has been written about the wisdom or lack thereof, of future aircraft carrier capability and the prospect that the new Queen Elizabeth carrier will be without planes to fly of it for some time.

I mentioned 9/11 earlier and that event, like the 7/7 bombings, gives us another area of defence capability to examine - intelligence gathering.

A massive army, air force or navy is not going to prevent domestic terrorism - effective intelligence gathering can.

The Government would be unwise to reduce the capabilities of MI5 or MI6.

A country's security services provide a first line of defence at home and serve as an invaluable source for all matters international. A first class defence set-up must have balance.

Another area of concern that the job cuts raise is the potential loss of experience.

British soldiers have seen more than a decade of continuous conflict which has come at a cost, but has bred experienced troops. Britain needs to be careful not to lose this experience.

It should be said that Britain is far from being the only country to cut its defence budget - most western countries are doing the same, the US included.

And with a long military history, the like of which Britain is very proud, it is especially difficult to witness a respected army being cut to a size not seen since the 18th century.

It does not necessarily follow though that Britain's armed forces cannot retain that global respect.

Defence and political chiefs argue that they are shaping the armed forces for the way they imagine future conflicts will pan out, but no-one likes budget cuts, that goes against simple human nature.

And anyway, what country can ever truly determine the passage of a conflict? Do we really think the US, Britain and others imagined they would still be in Afghanistan when they went into the country all those years ago?

The conclusion I come to is this: it will be the scope of future prospective conflicts that determine the nature of British military intervention rather than what has for centuries been the opposite: Britain pro-actively involving itself in conflicts in an attempt to shape the world.

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Helicopter Crash: Inquest Into Pilot's Death

The pilot of a helicopter which crashed in London last week had been diverted because of bad weather, an inquest has heard.

Pete Barnes, 50, died from multiple injuries when his rotor-driven aircraft clipped a high-rise crane and plummeted to the ground close to Vauxhall station, south London.

He narrowly missed a new apartment block called The Tower, in St George's Wharf, to which the crane was attached and crash landed in Wandsworth Road.

An inquest into his death at Southwark Coroner's Court has been told he had been flying from Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire when he was diverted.

Controllers on the ground agreed he should change his destination to Battersea Heliport because of bad weather at the time.

He was flying a twin-engine Agusta Westland 109 helicopter, London Inner South Coroner Dr Andrew Harris heard.

Police, the fire brigade and the HEMS air ambulance all attended the scene and Mr Barnes was pronounced dead by the HEMS doctor.

Pedestrian Matthew Wood also died

Dr Harris said he would review the case in three months and did not set a date for a future hearing.

The veteran pilot, who had 25 years' experience, had flown as an air ambulance pilot and in several films during his career including Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan and Tomb Raider II.

Mr Barnes, from Berkshire, has been described as "a good guy" who was "full of life and great fun".

He was born in Nottingham on December 9, 1962 and was single, the inquest heard.

Pedestrian Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, Surrey, was also killed in the tragedy as he walked to work. He died from severe burns and a leg injury, a post-mortem examination revealed last week.

Neighbour Yvonne Humphries said Mr Wood was a "lovely, cuddly teddy bear", and his sister, Amanda Wood, said he was a "big guy with a big heart" who doted on his godson, his brother Darren's child.

The coroner did not set a date for the re-opening of the inquest into Mr Wood's death.

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