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Brooks: 'Shock, Horror' At Milly Dowler Hacking

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 25 Februari 2014 | 23.17

Rebekah Brooks has spoken of her "shock and horror" over the hacking of murdered schoogirl Milly Dowler's phone.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey where she is standing trial for conspiring to hack telephones, Brooks claimed she knew nothing about an alleged request for phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire to access the voicemails.

The former News of the World editor told the court she only became aware Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked on July 4, 2011 and her reaction was one of "shock, horror, everything".

"Just to put my reaction into any form of context," she said.

"I was told that the News of the World had asked someone to access Milly Dowler's phone while she was missing, that they had also deleted her voicemails and for a period of time because of that her parents had been given false hope and thought she was alive," she said.

"I just think anyone would think that that was pretty abhorrent, so my reaction was that. That was what I was told.

"Nobody did delete voicemails and certain parts of the police knew voicemails had been accessed," she added.

News Of The World last edition Brooks was editor of the paper between 2000 and 2003

Brooks also claimed she was unaware of a contract worth £92,000 between the News of the World and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire while she was editor and it was never drawn to her attention.

Her barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court the contract was between the now-defunct Sunday newspaper and Mulcaire's company Euro Research and Information Ltd.

The agreement which began in September 2001 consisted of weekly payments of £1,769 over a 12-month period, totalling some £92,000.

Brooks was asked if she had set eyes on the contract during that period, to which she replied "no".

Milly Dowler Brooks denied any knowledge of Milly Dowler's phone being hacked

When asked if she had ever heard of Mulcaire's company, the former News International chief executive replied: "Their names did not ring a bell with me when I heard about them in 2006.

"Of course we used a lot of private detectives at the paper so it would not necessarily ring a bell."

The 45-year-old, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, denies conspiring to hack telephones, conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, and conspiring to cover up evidence to pervert the course of justice.

Wearing a dark top as she entered the witness box she said any payments over £50,000 would have required permission from the newspaper's then-managing editor Stuart Kuttner.

Mr Laidlaw asked: "In ordinary circumstances would a payment of this sort come to your attention?"

"It depends," she replied, adding: "As long as it was within the spending limit, my visibility would have been pretty low."

Brooks added that other departments used private detectives more often than she did during her time as features editor.

"Obviously at News of the World it was known they were used for all sorts of different things," she said.

"In the late mid-90s to 2003/04 there was lots of use of private detectives across Fleet Street … it was commonplace."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Benefits Street Show Investigated By Ofcom

The TV regulator has said it will investigate the series Benefits Street to decide whether it broke broadcasting guidelines.

The Channel 4 programme received nearly 1,800 complaints and sparked political debate over its portrayal of the people who live on James Turner Street in Birmingham.

Many of the Winson Green street's residents were living on benefits and some scenes appeared to show them committing crimes.

The programme claimed to reveal "the reality of life on benefits" on "one of Britain's most benefit-dependent streets".

Ofcom will examine whether the programme may have caused offence by being misleading or unfair, and whether enough was done to protect under-18s in the show, as well as the way it depicted possible crimes.

There were 960 complaints to Ofcom and another 800 to Channel 4 about the show.

An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "Following the conclusion of Benefits Street, Ofcom can confirm that it has launched an investigation into the series."

The watchdog has a range of sanctions it can use if the channel is found to have breached regulations, from fines and licence removal to providing channels with more guidance.

A series of police raids last June led to some of the street's residents being charged with drug offences.

And some of the families featured in the show claimed they had been tricked into appearing and were angry at being depicted as lazy scroungers and irresponsible parents.

In January Channel 4 told Sky News: "The production crew were filming in a purely observational capacity - at no stage was criminal behaviour encouraged or condoned.

"All contributors were briefed that if they carried out criminal activity on camera this could result in criminal investigations after broadcast."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Two Men Cleared Of Attacking Clive Mantle

Two men, who were accused of attacking Casualty actor Clive Mantle, have been cleared of all charges.

During the trial, Philip McGilvray admitted biting Mr Mantle in the ear at a Travelodge in Newcastle last year but said it was an act of self-defence.

Alan French. Alan French and Philip McGilvray Philip McGilvray.

He had described the actor - who also stars in Game of Thrones - as a "big monster" who pinned him to the floor after leaving his room to tell them to be quiet.

The pair had started drinking in the afternoon before returning to the hotel in the early hours.

McGilvray, 33, and co-defendant Alan French, 32, both denied wounding with intent.

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Scottish Olympic Medallists Back United Team GB

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Team GB's Scottish Sochi medallists have backed the continuation of united British teams at future Games, saying that competing as an independent nation could detract from the Olympic experience.

Team GB secured a record-equalling medal haul in Russia, but if Scotland votes for independence it could be the last time a united British team travels to a winter games.

Curling - Winter Olympics Day 13 Eve Muirhead said representing Team GB 'makes it extra special'

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond says that an independent Scotland will apply to the International Olympic Committee to send a team to future Games under the Saltire.

Such a change would have a dramatic effect on winter sports, with half of Team GB's four medals won by the all-Scottish men's and women's curling teams.

If Scotland votes 'Yes', those athletes, and all Scots including Andy Murray, would be ineligible for Team GB at future Games.

On their return to Heathrow on Monday night, the captains of both curling teams said the dilution of Team GB would diminish the Olympic experience.

Asked by Sky News if she would prefer to compete for Team GB or Scotland, women's skip Eve Muirhead said: "For our curling teams, nine times out of 10, we represent Scotland at the European and World Championships, and that's a great honour to have your country on your back.

"But when it comes to the Olympic Games and you get a chance to represent Team GB, it makes it extra special.

Andy Murray Andy Murray would be ineligible for Team GB if Scotland votes 'Yes'

"You're one big team and we're all together and it's a great, great feeling to know when you step on that ice that you are part of Team Great Britain and not just part of Team Scotland."

Men's skip David Murdoch, who won silver in Sochi, said: "Whatever happens will happen. It's been an incredible experience being part of Team GB.

"We've had the full support of the entire United Kingdom and we're very proud of that."

Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay, a Scot and a former Olympic curler, said the decision should be left to politicians.

"There is no 'Plan B' for Team GB. If that happens, we'll deal with whatever the consequences are," he said.

A move to a Scottish Olympic team would not be automatic.

An independent Scotland would have to apply to the IOC for recognition and there are doubts as to whether the process would be complete before the 2016 Olympics.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Teenager Admits Killing Student After Bus Row

An 18-year-old man has admitted murdering a teenage college student, who was stabbed after a dispute on a bus.

Azeem Akhtar, who was 17 at the time, was due to stand trial next month accused of killing Azim Azam.

He changed his plea to guilty during a brief hearing at Birmingham Crown Court.

Azim, 16, was on his way to his first day at college when he was found lying in the street after getting off a bus in the Moseley area of Birmingham last September.

Azim, from Billesley, later died in hospital.

Police said the death had followed a dispute between two bus passengers who were known to each other.

Akhtar, of Glen Rise, Kings Heath, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 17.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Flood-Hit Farms To Get Share Of £10m Fund

Flood-hit farmers are to share £10m of Government cash from a fund to help them get back into production.

Farming minister George Eustice revealed details of the fund in a speech to the National Farmers' Union (NFU) Conference in Birmingham.

"We have suffered the wettest winter for 250 years and the impact has led to thousands of properties being flooded and many families' lives being turned upside down," Mr Eustice said.

"As the Prime Minister has said, we understand the hardship and disruption this causes families and businesses and we will do everything in our power to help the recovery operation now under way."

The fund is to help with four key areas of recovery and offer support with uninsured losses.

Flooded fields in Oxfordshire Aerial pictures of flooded Oxfordshire fields earlier this month

Mr Eustice said it would help with restoring grassland and productive arable and horticultural land which, in turn, would help to restore vehicle access to fields and improve field drainage.

Under the scheme, all farmers affected by the flooding will be able to apply for emergency funding of up to £5,000, covering up to 100% of their business costs.

This will allow them to continue growing crops and grazing livestock.

NFU president Peter Kendall told the conference that the Government needed to find ways to remove red rape around landowners carrying out their own maintenance - such as keeping vegetation cut back and clearing silt from rivers.

"Routine dredging has got to be part of the answer for the Somerset Levels," he said.

"But what's needed on the Levels may be different from what's needed in the Thames Valley or Cumbria - devastated in 2009 - or in North West Wales where there are 1,000 acres awash with saltwater, or along the coast of Lincolnshire - 600 acres of grade one land inundated last December.

"We have to increase budgets and review the balance between capital works and routine maintenance."

Flooded landscape Some farmers are afraid they will never recover financially

A second part of the fund will be reserved to help those farms which continue to be affected but where it is too soon to be able to assess the full extent of the damage, Mr Eustice told the conference.

"Once we have a better picture of the scale of the damage we will reassess the upper limit for grants and we will keep the scheme under constant review so that it remains flexible and is targeted at those in greatest need," he said.

Additionally, the £10m Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme will offer eligible farmers grants of up to £35,000 on schemes designed to make businesses more resilient, he said.

"We want to help farmers affected by flooding and the severe weather to get their businesses back on track as soon as possible.

"The new £10m Farming Recovery Fund has been set up to help farmers directly affected meet short-term costs as the flood waters recede," the minister told the conference.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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A Broken Heart Really Can Kill You, Study Says

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

People who have been recently bereaved really can die of a broken heart, new research shows.

Doctors at a British medical school found the chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke doubles after a partner's death.

They believe grief results in extra physical stress, and may also make people forget or lose interest in taking their medication.

Dr Sunil Shah, senior lecturer in public health at St George's University of London, and co-author of the study, said: "We often use the term 'a broken heart' to signify the pain of losing a loved one and our study shows bereavement can have a direct effect on the health of the heart."

According to research published in the journal Jama Internal Medicine, 16 of 10,000 patients aged 60 and over suffered a heart attack or stroke within 30 days of their partner's death - twice the normal rate.

However, the risk began to fall again after the first month.

"There is evidence, from other studies, that bereavement and grief lead to a range of adverse responses including changes in blood clotting, blood pressure, stress hormone levels and heart rate control," said Dr Shah.

"In addition, we have found, in another study, that in the first few months after bereavement, individuals may not consistently take their regular preventive medication, such as cholesterol lowering drugs or aspirin."

Dr Iain Carey, senior research fellow at St George's University of London, said grief seems to have a clear physiological effect.

"A better understanding of psychological and social factors associated with acute cardiovascular events may provide opportunities for prevention and improved clinical care," he said.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Harman Denies Colluding With Paedophile Group

Harriet Harman has said she regretted the "existence" of a paedophile right group linked to a civil liberties group she worked for.

However, the deputy Labour leader said she had nothing to apologise for and that she neither colluded with nor supported the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE).

She continued to insist the series of stories run by the Daily Mail over the links between the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), which Ms Harman worked for, and PIE, were a politically motivated "smear".

Harriet Harman tweet Harriet Harman has fought back against the Daily Mail on Twitter

Ms Harman said: "I am not going to apologise because I have got nothing to apologise for.

"I very much regret that this vile organisation, PIE, ever existed and that it ever had anything to do with NCCL but it did not affect my work at NCCL. 

"They had been pushed to the margins before I actually went to NCCL and to allege that I was involved in collusion with paedophilia or apologised for paedophilia is quite wrong and is a smear."

It comes after Ms Harman issued a fierce and lengthy rebuttal of claims by the Daily Mail that she was an "apologist for paedophilia".

The claims centre around Ms Harman's employment at the NCCL, the group now known as Liberty, in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the group's links with the paedophile group, which wanted to make child sex legal.

Jack DromeyPatricia Hewitt

PIE, which has now been disbanded, was founded by Tom O'Carroll, who has been described as a "sexually predatory" paedophile. He was allowed to make a speech at the council's spring conference in 1977.

Ms Harman was the NCCL legal officer from 1978 to 1982, her husband, the Labour MP, Jack Dromey, was on the group's executive committee from 1970 to 1979. 

The former health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, was NCCL's general secretary from 1974 to 1983. Ms Hewitt has yet to comment on the matter.

The Daily Mail has run a series of stories about the links between the groups over the last 10 weeks and has demanded the three Labour stalwarts apologise to the victims of child sex abuse.

The Daily Mail Labour says the series of stories is part of an ongoing "smear" campaign

However, in a statement issued on Monday, Ms Harman maintained that by the time she joined the group, PIE were in the process of being expelled from the NCCL.

Later on Monday, she told BBC's Newsnight: "It is ironic that they are accusing me of supporting indecency in relation to children when they themselves are not above producing photographs of very young girls, titivating photographs, in bikinis.

"I stand by what I was doing at NCCL and I stand by what I have done all the way through."

On Tuesday she tweeted a picture taken from the Daily Mail of girls in bikinis saying: "When it comes to decency and sexualisation of children, would you take lessons from the Daily Mail?"

The Daily Mail responded to Ms Harman's claims with equal robustness saying the statements from both her and her husband were "full of pedantry and obfuscation".

A statement from the paper issued on Monday night said: "They have failed to utter a word of contrition or sorrow about the NCCL's closeness to the notorious Paedophile Information Exchange, an organisation that validated the activities of a monster like Jimmy Savile. Nor do they utter a word of apology to the victims of PIE."

PIE was disbanded in 1984 after a number of its activists were jailed.

Savile sex abuse investigation The Daily Mail claims PIE "validated the activities of Jimmy Savile"

Senior Labour sources on Tuesday told Sky News the series of articles about Ms Harman, Mr Dromey and Ms Hewitt was a continuation of a "smear" campaign that began with its piece about Labour leader Ed Miliband's father Ralph in September.

The piece, titled "The man who hated Britain", gave details of a diary entry written by a 17-year-old Ralph Miliband in which he expressed frustration with the country.

The source said: "We do think there is a connection with the Ralph Miliband row. The Daily Mail is trying to have some payback. There's a pattern of behaviour here.

"They smeared by innuendo over Ralph Miliband, they are smearing by association over Harriet Harman.

"This is not the way that political debate should be conducted, that's not what the British people want to see.

"It's not a British value to conduct political debate by smear."

Mr Miliband has given Ms Harman his full backing saying: "I know she has a long and proud record of being on the right side of all of these issues."

There have also been a number of discussions around the acceptability of behaviour in the 1970s that would simply be viewed as criminal today.

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries said on Twitter on Tuesday morning: "In 70's following legalisation of homosexuality (rightly) and a decade of 'free love' organisations like PIE genuinely thought they were next."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Ex-Guantanamo Inmate Held Over 'Syria Terror'

Former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg is one of four people who have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences linked to the Syria conflict.

Police confirmed the 45-year-old was among three men and a woman from the West Midlands held on Tuesday morning.

Mr Begg, a British citizen, is suspected of attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas.

A 36-year-old man, a woman aged 44 and her 20-year-old son were also held on suspicion of facilitating terrorism overseas.

Vehicles and electronic equipment were being removed from the suspects' homes in Hall Green, Shirley and Sparkhill.

Officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) were carrying out searches at the three addresses.

The four suspects are being held at a police station in the West Midlands area.

A police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Moazzam Begg was arrested this morning.

Map showing locations of Syria-related terror arrests The suspects were arrested at addresses across the West Midlands

"We are confirming this name as a result of the anticipated high public interest to accredited media."

She added naming Mr Begg does "not imply any guilt".

Earlier, Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards from the West Midlands CTU said: "All four arrests are connected.

"They were pre-planned and intelligence led. There was no immediate risk to public safety."

Mr Begg was held by the US government at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba for nearly three years after being arrested in Pakistan in February 2002.

He was detained on suspicion of being a member of al Qaeda before being released without charge in January 2005.

Guantanamo detainees were reportedly trained to be secret agents Moazzam Begg was held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for almost three years

He was allowed to return to the UK where he was arrested by police before being released without charge.

Mr Begg is now a director of Cage - which campaigns "against the War on Terror" - and has always maintained that he has never been involved in any kind of terrorist activity.

The arrests come after unrelated video and pictures emerged earlier this month of a man suspected of being Britain's first suicide bomber in Syria.

Adbul Waheed Majeed allegedly drove a truck into a jail in Aleppo and detonated a bomb on February 6.

The family of the 41-year-old, from Crawley, West Sussex, said they believed he was in Syria for humanitarian purposes.

He is among an estimated 20 Britons who are thought to have been killed in the Syrian conflict.

Ministers have reportedly been told around 250 of 400 British-based extremists who went to Syria to train and fight have returned to the UK.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has said the security threat posed by these individuals is a "big problem" for MI5 and the police.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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Guns Returned Before Puppy Farm Shootings

Police returned a number of shotguns to the owner of a puppy farm seven months before a mother and daughter were shot dead there, it has emerged.

The man, named in reports as dog breeder John Lowe, 82, is suspected of killed the two women and four dogs at Keepers Cottage Stud in Farnham, Surrey.

A police spokesman said: "In May 2013 a shotgun licence and a number of licensed shotguns were seized from the address, however the licence and guns were returned in July 2013.

Farnham shootings A long-barrelled firearm was recovered from the scene

"We are in the process of establishing if one of these licensed guns was the firearm recovered on Sunday.

"Surrey Police is reviewing the return of the licence to ensure compliance with Home Office guidelines and has referred this matter to the IPCC (the Independent Police Complaints Commission)."

Armed police were called to the property at 10am on Sunday where the body of one woman was found inside.

The other woman was found dead outside near animal pens.

Farnham Murder The RSPCA took a number of animals from the property

The victims were named as Christine Lee, 66, and her 40-year-old daughter, Lucy.

Post-mortem examinations showed they died from gunshot wounds.

A long-barrelled firearm was recovered from the scene.

Three German shepherds and a labrador were also shot dead.

The RSPCA removed the dogs' bodies and rescued a large number of other animals from the property.

Farnham murders The killings happened in the Surrey town of Farnham

A spokesman for the charity said: "We have already removed one cat and 10 dogs, including a number of puppies, from the property. These include chihuahuas, pomeranians, shih tzus and an Old English sheepdog-type.

"Today we will be removing a small number of exotic birds from the property. At present our staff are caring for a large number of chickens at the property and we have bought in our specialist equine workers to ensure the health and welfare of four horses.

"We are currently working with other agencies to make arrangements for their long-term care."

The RSPA confirmed it made a number of visits to the property over the past few years.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.


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