Savile Sex Abuse Investigation: Two Arrests

Two men have been arrested as part of the investigation sparked by allegations of abuse against Jimmy Savile.

The pair, aged 64 and 74, were detained at separate addresses in south London on suspicion of sexual offences as part of Operation Yewtree.

They have been taken into police custody to be questioned about the allegations.

Scotland Yard detectives have run the investigation in three strands - allegations involving Savile, those involving the Savile and others, and those involving others.

The claims against both men are being dealt with under the "others" strand.

They are the 15th and 16th people arrested as part of the national police probe into alleged sexual offences which was originally launched when claims were made against Savile.

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Baby P: Ed Balls Slams Shoesmith's Payout

Former children's secretary Ed Balls has said a reported six-figure unfair dismissal payout to the child protection boss sacked over the Baby P scandal will "appall people across the country".

A settlement which could be up to £600,000 has been agreed with Haringey Council, although it is thought Sharon Shoesmith may receive a lower sum.

Mr Balls removed Ms Shoesmith from her £133,000-a-year post as the council's director of children's services after a damning report on the death of Peter Connolly.

She was then fired by the council without compensation in December 2008, after a report from regulator Ofsted exposed that her department failed to protect 17-month-old Peter - then known publicly as Baby P. She has reportedly not worked since.

Mr Balls, now shadow chancellor, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "An independent report said there were disastrous failings in Haringey children's services.

"They said the management was at fault. Sharon Shoesmith was the director of children's services and so of course it leaves a bad taste in the mouth that the person who was leading that department and responsible ends up walking away with, it seems, a large amount of money.

Baby Peter suffered some 50 injuries despite being on 'at risk' register

"The payout is something that will appall people across the country. What it can't do is bring back a little boy who lost his life because he was failed by Sharon Shoesmith and that department. That's the truth and that will never change."

Ms Shoesmith won a 2011 ruling that she had been unfairly sacked from her job following the report into the death of 17-month-old Peter, who died in 2007 following months of abuse.

Her lawyers argued that she was the victim of a "flagrant breach of natural justice" fuelled by a media witch-hunt.

In May 2011, the Court of Appeal concluded she had been unfairly sacked because Mr Balls and Haringey had not given her a proper chance to put her case before she was removed.

The Department for Education and Haringey sought permission to attempt to overturn the ruling in the Supreme Court, but judges rejected the applications, clearing the way for Ms Shoesmith to receive compensation, which some experts predicted could even be as high as £1m.

Peter's ordeal at the hands of his mother and Steven Barker shocked the UK

Some of the cash for her settlement will come from central government funds, but the council will have to foot most of the bill, according to BBC Newsnight.

Mr Balls said at the time at the time of the Court of Appeal ruling he was "surprised and concerned" by the decision, which he warned would make it "difficult for ministers to act swiftly" when children are at risk.

Peter died in Tottenham, north London, at the hands of his mother Tracey Connelly, her lover Steven Barker and their lodger Jason Owen.

He had suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life.

A series of reviews identified missed opportunities when officials could have saved his life if they had acted properly on the warning signs in front of them.

Ms Shoesmith had been due in court later this week, seeking a declaration that she remained employed by Haringey Council.

That action has now been dropped, and the settlement reached between the two parties is understood to be a final one.

The council said the terms of the settlement were confidential.

A spokesman said: "Following the decision of the Court of Appeal in favour of Ms Shoesmith, and the court's direction that the parties seek to resolve the issue of compensation, the London Borough of Haringey and Ms Shoesmith have reached a settlement in this case."

Earlier in October it was reported that Tracey Connelly was due to be released from prison on parole. 

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Spurs Fan Stabbed In Rome: Two Men Jailed

Two Italian football hooligans have been jailed for launching a brutal assault on Tottenham Hotspur supporters, including one who suffered a near-fatal stabbing.

The English fans were drinking peacefully at a pub in the centre of Rome last November before a Europa League match against Lazio when thugs launched what police described in court as a well-planned "urban guerrilla warfare" operation using smoke bombs and tear gas to help "neutralise" their victims.

The Italian gang tore through the Drunken Ship pub in the Campo de Fiori piazza, smashing windows and attacking fans with knives, iron bars and even ripped-off chair legs, the court heard.

Thirteen people were injured, including Ashley Mills, from Brentwood, Essex, who suffered massive blood loss when one hooligan plunged a knife into his thigh.

He was taken to hospital where doctors fought to rebuild his femoral artery.

The raid caused an estimated 18,000 euros (£15,400) damage to the pub

Mr Mills described at the time how the mob "came out of nowhere".

"I was standing outside the bar drinking, and the next thing I know there are loads of them. It happened very quickly, I don't remember much. I remember being pulled out, along the ground, after I had been stabbed," he said.

Mr Mills, who grew up in Tottenham, north London, had travelled to the game with his brother Bradley Mills, a 30-year-old interior designer, who was in the bar and was also injured.

On Monday, a Rome judge sentenced Francesco Ianari, 27, to four years and five months in prison, and Mauro Pinnelli, 26, to five years and six months in jail, for assaulting 12 of the 13 people injured.

Both fans of Rome side AS Roma, they formed part of a larger group of 20 who took part in the raid.

Ianari, a door-to-door salesman who has previously been banned from attending football matches, and Pinnelli, a builder, were arrested on the night of the attack after they were spotted behaving suspiciously near the pub.

People peer inside the venue the morning after the attack last November

Hardcore "Ultra" fans of another Rome team, Lazio, were initially accused of organising the raid.

Some Lazio fans were accused of singing anti-Semitic chants at the match against Spurs the night after the attack, boosting suspicions the attack was linked to the London team's Jewish heritage.

But the court heard that Roma fans first spotted the Spurs fans drinking at the pub and then called on Lazio fans they knew to join them, suggesting thugs from the two traditional rivals have forged a violent alliance.

Damage to the pub was estimated at 18,000 euros (£15,400).

In February, police said they had identified nine others suspected of taking part in the violence, and took three men into custody, including two Lazio fans.

They have since been release and have been banned from attending Lazio matches.

Police used CCTV footage to build their case as well as bringing in anti-terrorism police who used mobile phone records to identify the assailants and track their movements on the night.

Officers concluded that the gang first put the bar under surveillance then gathered in nearby Piazza Navona to plan the raid.

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Claudia Lawrence Case: Officers Search House

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

The house of missing York cook Claudia Lawrence has been sealed off in a hunt for new clues about what happened to her four-and-a-half years ago.

A murder inquiry was launched in 2009 after the 35-year-old failed to turn up for work at the University of York, having left her passport and bank cards in her terraced home in the Heworth area of the city.

Despite a lengthy inquiry, no arrests were made and extensive searches failed to turn up any sign of Claudia, her mobile phone or a bag of work clothes she was thought to have taken with her.

Now a fresh team of forensic experts, led by new senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn have begun combing her house for clues at the start of an official cold case review.

Forensics officers arrive to search Claudia Lawrence's home

"Forensic science is continually evolving and I hope that scientific advances since Claudia was reported missing in March 2009 will assist with our review of the case," he said.

The review will hope to build on the first investigation, which was led by an officer who has since retired. Any new clues it finds can be checked against previously gathered evidence.

"The work will begin with an initial assessment of the property, followed by approximately two weeks of further forensic work at the house," D/Supt Malyn explained.

Claudia's father Peter says he is grateful for the review

Peter Lawrence, Claudia's father, told Sky News he hoped the review would help establish what had happened to his daughter.

"As I've always said, the worst thing for the family is not knowing what happened to Claudia," he said.

"It's been a nightmare every day. It doesn't get any better in time."

He previously issued a statement welcoming the review of his daughter's case.

Claudia Lawrence and her father Peter

"I am grateful for the initiative by the new team investigating Claudia's case to re-visit her house and conduct further investigations there, including DNA testing," he said.

"Anything which helps the search to find Claudia, or at least find out what happened to her on that morning in March 2009, is welcomed."

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Mason, the head of North Yorkshire Police's crime directorate, said the first aim of the review was to find out essentially what happened in the house when she went missing.

"It's not entirely clear whether Claudia remained in the house on the night she disappeared or whether what ultimately led to her demise happened within that house," he said.

D/Supt Malyn called on anyone who thinks they can assist the review team with information to get in touch.

"It is never too late for people to come forward with information now, that for whatever reason they were unable to share with us in the past," he said.

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Blockbuster To Enter Administration Again

The DVD and computer games rental chain Blockbuster is poised to enter administration for the second time this year, placing 2,000 jobs at risk.

It was snapped up in March by private equity group Gordon Brothers Europe after its initial collapse in January but the new owners said it had continued to suffer from poor trading.

Gordon Brothers planned to cut 32 jobs at the chain's Uxbridge headquarters in London while its 264 stores were at risk, the company said, unless a buyer could be found.

It cut Blockbuster's store portfolio and staff numbers in half to prioritise prime locations and new releases but said its turnaround attempts for the historically loss-making company coincided with low demand across rental and retail sales.

It said stores would remain open for now but some may need to close if a buyer cannot be found.

Blockbuster has been hit hard by intense competition from supermarkets, as well as the shift from physical rental and sales to online games, music and films.

The devastating impact of web-based sales on Britain's high streets was already laid bare by the demise of camera chain Jessops and electricals group Comet, which also cited competition from online players as a major reason for their declines.

Jessops was later reborn under the control of entrepreneur Peter Jones of TV Dragons Den fame.

Gordon Brothers said today it had tried to turn around the chain by restructuring, investing in marketing and negotiating new deals with landlords to bring down rent costs.

But it failed to broker a licensing deal with US company Blockbuster LCC, which owns the brand, for a new digital platform.

It said efforts will now focus on "giving the company a chance of future survival through a reduced and different business model in the hope that a buyer will be found."

Frank Morton, chief executive of Gordon Brothers Europe, said: "Since the acquisition, we have worked extremely hard to reignite the Blockbuster brand, make our investment work and put the business on a viable footing.

"Despite our best efforts, we regret that we are now forced to make some redundancies and would like to thank any affected employees for their support during the last six months."

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John Lennon's First Home Goes Up For Auction

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

John Lennon's childhood home in Liverpool is going up for auction at the Cavern Club in his home city this evening.

The three-bedroom red brick terrace was Lennon's first home and where the Beatles legend lived with his parents and grandparents until he was five.

The house is on Newcastle Road in the famous Penny Lane area of Liverpool which inspired many of Lennon's songs. The area is still visited by Beatles' fans.

The modest family home has a guide price of between £150,000 and £250,000. It has a lounge, family room and kitchen with three bedrooms and a family bathroom upstairs. There is a walled backyard outside.

Stephen Giddins from Entwistle Green estate agents told Sky News the owners decided to sell the house at auction because they simply do not know how much it will sell for.

John Lennon on stage at the Cavern in 1961

"It's very difficult to put a price on a house like this because you don't know what someone who is a huge Beatles fan will be prepared to pay to live in John Lennon's former home.

"We've had interest from across the whole of the UK and we've got at least a couple of people wanting to bid from the United States over the telephone."

Mr Giddins said among those he has shown round the house since it's been on the market was John Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird.

"She wasn't looking at the house with a view to buying it, she was just really keen to come and see the house to remind herself of the time that she lived here.

John Lennon as a schoolboy, aged eight

"She referred to the fact that the back bedroom was John's bedroom, her parents were in the room next door and her grandparents slept in the main front bedroom.

"She recalls there were always lots of children playing in the alley out the back of the house and how they made a swing in their backyard for all their friends to play on."

The current owner told the Liverpool Echo: "I'll be sad to leave John Lennon's first home but I am retired now and would really like a property with a bigger garden.

"I have made sure original features have been preserved so that they reflect the 1960s period, when the Beatles wowed the whole world with their rock and roll music.

"The main structure of the house and features, such as the original Victorian sliding sash windows, are as they were when John Lennon lived here with his parents and his grandparents from 1940 onwards."

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Letter Bomb Sent To NI Secretary Villiers

A letter bomb addressed to Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has been found at Stormont Castle.

The building in Belfast, which is used by First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, was evacuated and an army bomb disposal unit sent to the scene.

Mr Robinson and dozens of staff were moved to the nearby Parliament buildings, the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Because the Assembly is in recess, Mr McGuinness was not in Stormont Castle at the time.

Ms Villiers was in London when the letter bomb was discovered.

She is meeting former US diplomat Richard Haass to discuss progress on talks he is chairing with Northern Irish politicians about boosting the peace process.

Mr Robinson condemned those responsible for sending the package.

"They will not further any aim or objective by their vile and callous deeds," he said. "Northern Ireland will not be dragged back by terrorists who have nothing but misery to offer."

The letter bomb is the fourth to be sent to senior Northern Ireland officials in as many days, with dissident republicans blamed for the previous attempted attacks.

On Friday, suspicious packages were intercepted after they were posted to Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott and Chief Inspector John Burrows, the police commander in Londonderry.

On Monday, a third letter was posted to the offices of the prosecution service in Derry.

The discovery of the devices follows a warning by MI5 boss Andrew Parker about the growing risk of terrorism in Northern Ireland.

In his first speech since taking over the Security Service in April, he said: "Rejecting the political process in Northern Ireland, these ragged remnants of a bygone age are in a cul-de-sac of pointless violence and crime with little community support.

"We will continue to work with the police to put these thugs and killers in front of the courts."

Stormont's justice minister David Ford thanked Royal Mail staff for their vigilance in detecting the suspicious packages.

"There is an obvious threat to these staff when reckless people abuse the mail system," he said.

Speaking about the attempted attack on Ms Villiers, he added: "Do those sending these devices really think their intended target will personally open the package? Their actions are to be condemned by all right-thinking people."

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Live: MPs Question Big Six Energy Firms

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3:09pm UK, Tuesday 29 October 2013

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Driver David Smith Found Dead After Missing Trial

A former driver charged with sex offences as part of the investigation triggered by allegations of abuse against Jimmy Savile has been found dead.

David Smith, 66, was the first person to be charged by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Yewtree investigation.

He had pleaded not guilty in July to two counts of indecent assault and two of gross indecency on a child following his arrest in December.

Smith leaving court in May

But he failed to turn up at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday for the start of his trial, prompting police to go to his home in Effingham Road, Lewisham.

Scotland Yard said: "At approximately 14:20 officers entered the address and found the body of a man. A FME (forensic medical examiner) attended and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Next of kin are being informed."

A post mortem was being carried out on the body.

Smith's barrister, Sandy Canavan, had told the court she was "concerned" that her solicitor had been unable to contact him ahead of the trial as she had regularly been in touch with him.

She told the court Smith was the sole carer for his elderly mother.

Police have separated the Yewtree investigation into three parts, the first concerned with the actions of Savile, while the second concerns allegations against what has become known as 'Savile and others'.

Smith was investigated under the third strand, concerning accusations of sexual abuse unconnected to Savile, but made by people who came forward following publicity surrounding the Savile allegations.

Court documents said there was "no evidence to suggest any connection" between Smith and Savile, although the former "was contracted to work as a driver for the BBC in the relevant period".

The BBC, however, said it had not found any record of Smith working for the corporation.

"On searches carried out to date, we have not found any record of David Smith being employed by or working for the BBC. We have been assisting the police in relation to David Smith and will continue to do so," a spokesman said.

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Energy Crisis: MPs Turn Spotlight On Big Six

Energy: Who Are The Big Six?

Updated: 10:56am UK, Tuesday 29 October 2013

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

As energy bills continue to dominate in Westminster, MPs will today hear from the "Big Six" companies – who together supply over 99% of British homes. So who are they?

:: British Gas

Much to the annoyance of MPs and the public, five out of six of the companies have failed to put up their chief executives. British Gas will instead put up Ian Peters, managing director of energy.

He will be seen as a key witness because British Gas (which also operates as Scottish Gas) is the UK's largest supplier of energy to households with almost 10 million residential customers.

British Gas has announced that the bills for dual-fuel customers will rise by 9.2% from 23 November. That is an 8.4% increase in gas prices and 10.4% in electricity.

The average annual bill will go up by £123 to £1,444. That is despite an overall profit in 2012 of over £600m.

:: E.ON

Tony Cocker is the only chief executive agreeing to stand in the spotlight today. His company, E.ON, has yet to announce price rises although it is expected to do so soon.

E.ON – which used to be called Powergen – operates in over 30 countries, serving 26 million customers.

Its price increases last year brought the average bill to £1,370. Its sales revenues in 2012 rose by 5% to £132.1bn with profits in excess of £800m

But the previous chief executive said the results were down to one-off effects and warned that parts of the business remained barely profitable.

:: EDF

Martin Lawrence, the managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply, will represent EDF today.

The company – which supplies around 3.7 million households in Britain - has also not announced a price increase as yet although it was one of the later ones to do so last year as well.

In 2012 it put up the average dual-fuel bill by 10.8%

The company's UK retail arm made a loss of £92m in 2012. But the success of its power generation arm – with nuclear power stations, coal plants and a gas power station – meant it was able to announce profits above £900m in the summer.

:: SSE

This latest storm of controversy around energy bills began with an announcement by SSE of an 8.2% increase in dual-fuel prices. This pushed up the average to £1,380

That is despite profits of over £400m in 2012. The company blamed wholesale prices but also green levies attached to bills through Government policy. The row led David Cameron to pledge to roll back the levies.

The company is putting forward Will Morris, managing director of retail.

:: npower

With 3.5 million UK customers npower is a huge player in the UK and one of the largest gas and electricity companies across Europe.

The company has announced its price rises to come in at the start of December. The electricity price will increase by 9.3% with gas going up by 11.1% – making the average bill 10.4% higher – up to £1,459.

In March the company faced controversy when it announced a 34% increase in profits to £413m – although the figure relating to domestic supply is lower.

The company is putting up Guy Johnson, its external affairs director.

:: Scottish Power

Neil Clitheroe, CEO retail and generation, will appear in front of MPs. The company is the most recent to announce price rises this winter of 8.6% - an 8.5% rise in in gas and 9% in electricity.

That means the average household bill will go up by £113 to £1,424.

It revealed that it had more than doubled pre-tax profits to £712m in July – and an £890m divided to its Spanish parent, Iberdrola, also caused anger.

:: Watch MPs question representatives from the Big Six on Sky News from 2.30pm.

:: Watch a live debate on energy between shadow energy minister Caroline Flint and energy minister Michael Fallon at 5.30pm on Sky News.

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