Woolwich: Police Officer 'Feared Being Killed'

An armed police officer thought Drummer Lee Rigby's alleged murderers were going to kill her, a court has heard.

The officer, identified only as D49, said she "instantly" thought she would die when suspect Michael Adebolajo, 28, ran towards her car in Woolwich, southeast London.

In a statement, she claimed he had a meat cleaver or machete and was "shouting something", adding that his eyes "were so wide" she could "see the whites of them".

Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC read the police officer's account to jurors, in which she said: "I saw a black male running at me, waving both his hands in the air in a chopping motion.

"In his right hand I saw what I call a meat cleaver or a machete. I instantly thought, 'He's going to kill me'.

"I went to draw my Glock. Due to my position in the car ... I could not immediately draw my (gun). It was a split second decision to draw my Taser."

She then saw a second person, said to be Michael Adebowale, 22, holding a gun.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, he's going to shoot me'. I feared for my life," she said in her statement.

A second armed officer, identified as E48, was in court to give evidence in person.

Video footage of Adebolajo charging towards the officers and flying into the air as he was shot was played to the court.

Adebowale also falls to the ground as he is shot.

D49 is seen keeping her gun trained on Adebolajo as he lies on the ground, while E48 is seen rushing back to the police car to get a medical kit.

He and another officer then administer first aid to Adebowale.

E48 told the court that the officers had "very little time" to react when Adebolajo ran at them.

"He started to move towards the vehicle which started to raise my perception of the threat," the officer said.

Michael Adebolajo denies the charges

"He almost instantly broke into a sprint and I realised we were being attacked. We had very little time to deal with the threat.

"He was coming at us."

The officer said that his colleague driving the car, D49, was left "essentially unable to defend herself".

He told the court: "She was defenceless, she had a pane of glass to protect herself, it was not ballistic glass."

The marksman opened fire on Adebolajo as he ran towards the car, telling the jury he was in "the frame of mind" that the suspect posed a threat.

"The second he started sprinting at us still in possession of that knife I made the decision to fire and until he fell away from the vehicle I was still in the frame of mind and I needed to take that decisive action to stop him."

He then saw Adebowale, who was lying on the ground after being shot, raise his arm in the air, the court heard.

"He raised one of his arms up. I've still got a distinct image in my mind of him holding a black revolver in his hand which I clearly saw, which struck me as unusual because he'd just been shot.

"The next two shots shot his thumb off. The hand holding the weapon", E48 said.

He said that he and his fellow officers will try to save the lives of suspects who have been shot.

"Once the threat is neutralised we have a duty of care to all persons to save life, no matter who they are."

Paramedic Nicholas Goh said when he arrived at the scene, he realised that Fusilier Rigby was dead.

In a statement read by prosecutor Oliver Glasgow, he said the soldier had suffered "injuries not compatible with life".

"I knew the man was dead and there was nothing I could do for him," he said.

The paramedic then went to treat Adebolajo, and described him saying: "I don't want anyone to die, I just want the soldiers out of my country.

Co-defendant Michael Adebowale has also pleaded not guilty

"Your Government is all wrong. I did it for my God."

Another paramedic, William Woolston, said in a statement that Adebolajo told him his name was Mujahid Abu Hamza.

The 28-year-old said he believed in Sharia law, and made repeated statements about British soldiers raping and killing women in Afghanistan.

"He kept repeating these statements over and over in slightly varied forms and didn't stop talking about this for all of the journey to King's College Hospital," the paramedic said.

Mr Woolston's colleague Stephen Berry said Adebolajo told him that "British soldiers deserved to die" for raping and killing women "in our lands".

Once Adebolajo was taken to hospital, he remained under police guard.

Police Constable Melita Vejnovic told the court he had told her: "My intention was never to harm any civilians.

"There were women and children around, my intention was to hurt military only.

"He was in his kit, in his uniform, coming in and out of the barracks."

Earlier, a woman wept in court as she recalled seeing Drummer Rigby's body dragged into the road in Woolwich.

Tina Nimmo told the trial she saw one of the alleged attackers stabbing the soldier and pleaded with the knifemen to stop as she shouted and swore at them.

She told the jury: "I wanted them to stop. At the time you just get on and do what you have to do. And that's what I had to do."

As the crowd approached, she told the jury the pair, who she said were holding two bloodied knives and a meat cleaver as well as the gun, "posed a bit more".

They were "very proud of what they had in their hands", she said.

Adebolajo and Adebowale both deny murdering the soldier, who the prosecution says was run over before he was attacked.

They also deny attempting to murder a police officer and conspiracy to murder.

The trial at the Old Bailey continues.

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Glasgow Helicopter Crash: Relatives Visit Site

Relatives and friends of some of those killed in the Glasgow helicopter crash have visited the scene of the tragedy.

They looked at tributes and flowers left at the nearby memorial site for the nine people who died in Friday night's disaster.

It came as the Deputy Prime Minister arrived in the city to pay his respects.

Nick Clegg laid flowers and met members of the community to discuss the tragedy.

He said: "The city is united in sadness and grief but also united in very heartfelt sympathy for those affected by the terrible events on Friday night."

Relatives of the victims went to the memorial site

He added that Glasgow was "also united in unequivocal support for the exceptional job done by the emergency services".

Police named the remaining four victims of the crash following the end of the recovery operation last night.

Robert Jenkins, 61, Mark O'Prey, 44, Colin Gibson, 33, and John McGarrigle, 57, were among the nine people killed when the police helicopter crashed into the Clutha pub.

The relatives of both Mr O'Prey and Mr McGarrigle told Sky News of their frustration at the delay in finding out news about the men.

Three people were killed in the helicopter - civilian pilot David Traill, 51, and police officers Kirsty Nelis, 36, and Tony Collins, 43.

The helicopter was raised from the building on Monday

Gary Arthur, 48, from Paisley, and Samuel McGhee, 56, from Glasgow, were the other two people who were killed in the pub.

Confirmation of the names of all those who died came after officials revealed the search and recovery operation at the crash site had concluded.

The site is subject to an ongoing police investigation, but management of the incident scene has been handed over to the city council.

Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: "All nine names of those who died in the tragic incident last Friday in Glasgow have now been confirmed.

"Our thoughts first and foremost are with the families and friends of all those who have died. As our investigation continues we will of course go on providing support to the families involved."

Cl'wise from top L: PCs Collins and Nelis, Mr McGhee, Mr Arthur, Mr Traill

On Monday it emerged Mr Traill made no mayday call before the crash.

Dave Miller, deputy chief inspector of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), told reporters there was no explosion and no fire before the helicopter fell onto the roof of the building, causing debris to land on customers below.

He said there was no "black box" flight recorder, although the aircraft did have a "significant number of modern electronic systems on board and it may be possible to recover details from those systems".

Nothing fell from the aircraft before the accident and the helicopter rotors were intact at the moment of impact.

The "extensively damaged" Eurocopter was lifted out by crane and taken by lorry to the AAIB base in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Emergency service workers formed a guard of honour to pay their respects to victims as the last four bodies were driven away in private ambulances.

Eleven people remain in hospitals across the city.

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RBS And NatWest Glitch: Problems Persist

RBS and NatWest customers are still reporting problems with their accounts after a third major glitch in 18 months hit the banking group's IT systems nationwide.

Thousands vented their anger on Twitter after all of the high street banks' systems went down for three hours on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, Cyber Monday, and the fury continued to be felt by the bank on Tuesday.

As well as bank cards, there were problems with RBS and NatWest's websites and smartphone apps.

The banking group said that while the technical issue had now been resolved, its 15.7 million customers should visit their local branch or contact one of its helplines if they were still experiencing problems with their accounts caused by the resulting backlog of transactions.

It promised anyone left out of pocket as a result of the failure would be compensated and there would be further investment in its technical systems to help prevent more disruption in future.

The group chief executive Ross McEwan described the latest glitch as "unacceptable" and added: "For decades, RBS failed to invest properly in its systems.

Complaints piled up on Twitter as customers could not access cash

"We need to put our customers' needs at the centre of all we do. It will take time, but we are investing heavily in building IT systems our customers can rely on.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience we caused our customers. We know we have to do better.

"I will be outlining plans in the New Year for making RBS the bank that our customers and the UK need it to be.

"This will include an outline of where we intend to invest for the future."

Customer services director Susan Allen told Sky News: "We know it was a very busy time of people doing their shopping before Christmas.

"Clearly, we deeply apologise for the inconvenience we've caused."

RBS' apology, along with an earlier tweet about mobile banking problems

Ms Allen insisted the problems were "completely unrelated" to high transaction volumes on Cyber Monday but was unable to give an explanation for the failure, saying it was still under investigation.

It is understood that hacking has been ruled out, although some customers told Sky News they were being targeted by phishing emails in the wake of the meltdown, an issue RBS said it was looking into.

Others complained about accounts being closed, suddenly overdrawn or unavailable to access online.

The group said Ulster Bank, which is also owned by RBS, was "partly affected" by the outage.

Reports started to emerge of bank cards being refused at around 6.30pm on Monday.

One customer from Canterbury, Kent, tweeted: "NatWest down again. Looked like a melt in Londis when my card got declined for milk and tuna."

Josh Barlow, a Sheffield Hallam journalism student, wrote: "This is happening every month, if not more, and it's getting ridiculous."

RBS and NatWest came under fire in March after a "hardware fault" meant customers were unable to use their online accounts or withdraw cash for several hours.

A major computer issue in June last year saw payments go awry, wages appear to go missing and home purchases and holidays interrupted for several weeks, costing the group £175m in compensation.

The latest meltdown will heap more embarrassment on the banks because it came on so-called Cyber Monday, when retailers expect their busiest day of the year as pre-Christmas shoppers search the internet for bargains.

Trade union Unite, which represents RBS staff, called for the bank to halt its cost cutting programme, which has seen thousands of jobs axed and IT functions sent abroad, in the wake of the IT problems.

National officer Dominic Hook said: "It is unacceptable that the bank's customers are once again facing inconvenience. Unite has grave concerns that staffing challenges are exacerbating the problems facing the bank."

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Schoolgirl Died After Accident In School Gym

A 12-year-old schoolgirl died after catching her foot on a pommel horse and falling during a PE lesson, an inquest has heard.

Paramedics were called to Taverham High School in Norfolk last March after Trevyn Hope Joslin injured herself in the fall.

Teachers and pupils in the school gym rushed to help her but she died in hospital a week later from a hyper-extension injury to the neck.

The inquest at Norfolk Coroner's Court heard Trevyn had a pre-existing neck condition which could have limited her ability to take part in some sports, including gymnastics.

The school knew about the condition but because of an administrative oversight had failed to inform all staff, the inquest heard.

However, pathologist Nat Cary found the injuries suffered in the fall could have killed somebody with an "anatomically normal" neck.

Norfolk Police and the Health and Safety Executive found no evidence of any failings and the inquest jury concluded Trevyn's death was accidental.

Assistant head and PA teacher Shirley Naisby described how she had organised the "basic flight" gym session.

She said Trevyn, from Thorpe Marriott near Norwich, was "confident, enthusiastic and one of the better gymnasts in the class".

She added: "In the last 10 or 15 minutes, the students could select which piece of equipment they wanted to go on and Trevyn selected the horse.

"She had a few successful jumps then went to make another.

"She ran up perfectly well but as she jumped her right foot caught the front-end of the horse and she tumbled forward and landed face down on the mat almost in the recovery position.

"Some of her friends were close to her and gathered around where she had fallen. One of them said 'Miss she's winded'.

"She was trying to mouth words but it was very difficult to hear what she was saying."

An ambulance was called and Lynne Hammond, the school's pastoral care supervisor, administered CPR.

She added: "I was struggling to accept the reality of the situation - you just want to believe a child is still breathing."

Trevyn's parents Derrick and Hannah did not comment as they left the hearing.

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Football Flares: Young Fans Are 'Used As Mules'

By Enda Brady, Sky News Reporter

Children as young as eight have been used as "mules" to take flares and smokebombs into grounds to be set off by adults.

Premier League officials made the claim as a new campaign is launched warning fans of the dangers posed by setting off flares and smokebombs inside grounds.

It comes just weeks after an assistant referee was hit on the back by a flare during a Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Tottenham.

A linesman was hit by a flare at Villa Park On October 21

The use of pyrotechnics has risen significantly in English grounds in the past few seasons.

There were just eight recorded incidents during the 2010/11 season across the Premier League, Football League and Football Conference and the domestic cup competitions.

This rose to 72 during the 2011/12 season and jumped to 172 last season.

Zenit St Petersburg supporters light flares during a Champions League match

There have been 96 incidents this season, as of the end of October.

"Football fans might see images of football grounds in other parts of Europe full of smoke and light caused by pyrotechnic devices and think that they create a good atmosphere, but they do not," said policing minister Damian Green.

"Flares are very dangerous and can cause severe injuries. We are very lucky that no one has been seriously injured or killed by a flare here for a long time.

Sniffer dogs are used to find pyrotechnics at grounds in England and Wales

"This campaign clearly sets out the dangers of flares and smoke bombs. I want to see the courts taking this problem seriously and dealing in the strongest way possible with fans who still illegally smuggle pyrotechnics into football grounds."

New research carried out for the Premier League found that 87% of fans believe that pyrotechnics are dangerous at matches, while 86% said they were concerned for their safety.

Cathy Long, the league's head of supporter services, said: "We have launched this education campaign because we want fans to be fully aware of the dangers of pyrotechnics and realise the harm they can cause to other supporters.

Flares are lit at a match between Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig

"Pyrotechnics are not innocent fun, they can be very dangerous and there are victims.

"Fans, club staff and match officials have already been injured, some of them severely, and supporters who bring them are doing so illegally and can face jail and long bans.

"We don't want that, we just want everyone to be safe and able to still come to the game."

The use of pyrotechnics by fans is a relatively new phenomenon in British football, with the trend imported from continental Europe, where the issue is much more prevalent.

Over half of fans have now witnessed pyrotechnics at a match, while 36% have been directly affected, 24% have had their view of the match obscured, 10% have suffered from smoke inhalation and 2% have been affected by heat from a flare.

Alan Weir, head of medical services at St John Ambulance, said: "We know that (our) volunteers have treated people for burns and smoke inhalation caused by flares at several football grounds.

"These cases could have led to disfigurement or other serious injuries, so we're advising fans to seek prompt emergency help should they come into contact with a flare to help prevent their injuries from getting worse."

Of the 172 incidents last season, 164 involved away fans. The average age of fans arrested for using pyrotechnics is 20.

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Man Arrested For Shining Laser At Helicopter

A 46-year-old man has been detained by officers after shining a laser directly at a Metropolitan Police helicopter.

The crew of the helicopter used onboard video equipment to trace the source of the laser, after it was used while the aircraft was near Orpington, southeast London, at 12.40am on Tuesday.

Officers on the ground were directed to the St Paul's Cray area of the town, where the man was arrested.

A laser pen was also recovered at the scene.

The man was taken to a south London police station where he admitted the offence.

He was given a police caution for endangering the safety of an aircraft.

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Drink-Driving Informers Offered £1,000 Reward

Revellers who report drink-drivers to the police over Christmas and the New Year could receive cash rewards of up to £1,000.

Derbyshire Constabulary and West Midlands Police are promoting the rewards to help catch drivers who are over the alcohol limit or under the influence of drugs.

Running until New Year's Day, the scheme will see posters placed in pubs and clubs urging drinkers to report those breaking the law.

Crimestoppers is offering the rewards for information leading to the arrest and charge of drink-drivers, with the size of the payment dependent on the nature and seriousness of the offence.

Last year, police in Derbyshire carried out 391 breath tests over Christmas, in which 79 people gave a positive reading or refused to take the test.

Chief Inspector Steve Wilson, the head of roads policing in Derbyshire, said: "This time of year is one of celebration for many, including work parties and especially with family and friends.

"Our message is simple - if you are having a drink, don't drive.

"Our campaign is very much intelligence-led and by working with Crimestoppers it will allow us to target those who persistently drink and drive rather than conducting mass-testing."

Inspector Greg Jennings, of West Midlands Police, added: "Every year it is the same story - people seem to think that it is acceptable to have a few with their family or friends and then get behind the wheel.

"In some cases they would not dream of drink-driving or taking drugs at other times of the year, but they lose their common sense as Christmas draws near.

"The information people pass on to us will directly influence our patrols and could well prevent a family experiencing tragedy this Christmas, as well as leading to people being brought before the courts."

A total of 290 people were killed in drink-drive accidents in 2012, up a quarter up on the previous 12 months, according to the Department for Transport (DfT). The figure represented 17% of all road fatalities.

Meanwhile, separate figures recently showed that more than one million motorists had got behind the wheel while over the legal alcohol limit in the last two years.

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Education Report: UK Lagging Behind The Best

The UK remains a long way behind countries like Singapore, Korea and Japan when it comes to basic standards in education, according to a major international study.

The 2012 Pisa report found the UK's performance in reading, maths and science has failed to improve in recent years.

Despite the UK spending more than average on education, there has been "no change" in attainment, it said.

Among the 65 countries which took part in the study, the UK ranked 26th for maths, 23rd for reading and 21st for science.

The research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assessed how students could use their knowledge and skills in real life, rather than just repeating facts and figures.

The findings show that the UK's average score for maths was 494 and 499 in reading, broadly the same as the OECD averages for the subjects.

In these subjects, the UK was on a par with nations such as the Czech Republic, France and Norway.

In science, the UK's teenagers scored 514 points, above the OECD average and similar to results in Australia, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand and Slovenia.

However, the results leave the UK lagging far behind leading nations such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Japan in each of the areas tested.

The OECD concluded that across all three subjects, the UK's average performance has remained unchanged since the Pisa tests of 2006 and 2009.

Headteachers have questioned the usefulness of the study

Andreas Schleicher, special adviser to the OECD's secretary-general, told Sky News: "We live in a global economy and the yard stick for success is no longer just improvement by national standards.

"It is about how competitive the school system is (and) how well young people are prepared compared to other people they will be living with in the same world.

"Countries may have different learning environments, different teaching environments and diversity is the strength of the world, but at the very same time we need to see ourselves in a mirror of what other countries show is achieveable."

However, headteachers have questioned the benefit of the study.

Paula Dixon, headteacher at Upton High School in Chester, where 80% of pupils gained grades A* to C in their GCSEs last year, said: "You really cannot expect Britain to do very well in the Pisa study.

"Our whole system is not designed to work well within that kind of framework.

"We know, because we have our own attainment tests in this country, that we are improving standards, and to compare us to South Korea or Finland doesn't make sense."

Anastasia de Waal, deputy director at the education think-tank Civitas, added: "The last thing we want to do is make our system responsive to international rankings.

"What we want to do is address the problems we know we have. They're well recognised, in particular this achievement map that we still have between rich and poor children.

"(We need to) address those, rather than getting distracted by what's happening internationally."

Labour accused the Government of failing schools through its education reforms but the coalition said the figures reflect Labour's policies when it was in power.

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China's 'UK Is No Big Power' Snub To Cameron

UK 'Just An Old European Country'

Updated: 9:04am UK, Tuesday 03 December 2013

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

The editorial in China's Global Times on Tuesday gives a clear hint about how David Cameron has been received in the country so far.

To a significant extent, editorials in the Chinese (state run) papers reflect the broad thinking of the communist leadership.

Under the headline "China won't fall for Cameron's 'sincerity'", the Global Times' article is less than complimentary.

It reminds Mr Cameron that "the UK is not a big power in the eyes of the Chinese. It is just an old European country ..."

It also points out that on the very day that Mr Cameron was praising the Chinese, his Navy Chief of Staff was meeting the Japanese military and apparently supporting Japan's stance in a bitter territorial dispute.

In short, the editorial paints a picture of a China that is less than impressed.

:: Full transcript of the Global Times editorial:

"The UK Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in China Monday, starting his three-day tour in the country.

"The once halted Sino-British relations, due to Cameron's meeting with the Dalai Lama last year, may see an ice-breaking.

"This year, China has been actively engaged in relations with Germany and France, which propels the urgency of the Cameron administration to end the chilliness of bilateral relations.

"Some analysts say that the UK, France and Germany have reached an unwritten understanding on the issue of the Dalai Lama to provoke China. When the leadership of one country meets with the Dalai Lama, the other two countries develop ties with China.

"Such an argument does echo the real situation of China's relations with Europe, especially when, yesterday, the British Royal Navy's Chief of Staff, Admiral George Zambellas met with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and supported Japan's stance toward China's recently declared Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea.

"This has added doubts over Cameron's sincerity in improving ties with China.

"Perhaps there is no need to talk about 'sincerity' in terms of Sino-British relations.

"What Cameron does is out of his own political interest and the UK's national interest. His visit this time can hardly be the end of the conflict between China and the UK.

"Beijing needs to speed up the pace of turning its strength into diplomatic resources and make London pay the price for when it intrudes into the interests of China.

"China has gained some achievement in countering European leaders' moves of meeting with the Dalai Lama.

"China's strategic initiatives in its relations with Europe have been increasing.

"The UK, France and Germany dare not make joint provocations toward China over the Dalai Lama issue.

"The Chinese government will surely show courtesy to Cameron. But the public does not forget his stance on certain issues.

"We know that the British government has been making carping comments on Hong Kong implementing universal suffrage for the chief executive's election in 2017.

"It also gives ulterior support for those who advocate opposition between Hong Kong and the central government. This has added to the negative impression the Chinese public holds toward the UK.

"Chinese people believe that if London interferes in Hong Kong's transition process of implementing universal suffrage, Sino-British ties can be halted again.

"The Cameron administration should acknowledge that the UK is not a big power in the eyes of the Chinese. It is just an old European country apt for travel and study. This has gradually become the habitual thought of the Chinese people.

"China has believed in 'diplomacy is no small matter', while after years of ups and downs, we have acquired the strategic confidence that 'diplomacy is no big matter'. China will act accordingly given how it is treated.

"Finally, let us show courtesy to Cameron and wish him a pleasant trip."

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Guardian Editor Faces MPs Over Snowden Leaks

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger has told MPs it is "impossible to assess" whether publishing top-secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden damaged UK national security.

The 59-year-old told the Home Affairs Committee his paper had only published 1% of the information contained in the documents obtained from the former NSA contractor, but did not reveal where the files are.

And he denied control of the data had been "lost" after it was shared through Fed Ex with The New York Times newspaper.

Mr Rusbridger and The Guardian newspaper have faced criticism over the publication, with the heads of GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 claiming the information has aided terrorists.

Others have claimed the move may have been illegal.

The revelations were disclosed to The Guardian, The Washington Post and Germany's Der Spiegel.

Mr Rusbridger, who has been editor of The Guardian since 1995, will be followed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Cressida Dick, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

:: Live Blog: Alan Rusbridger Quizzed Over Spy Stories

More follows...

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