Police Hunt Car Linked To Woman's Murder

Police are appealing for information about a car which may be linked to the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards, whose remains were found in a field years after she went missing.

Becky Godden-Edwards was last seen in December 2002

Officers believe a silver Volvo was in the Swindon area, where the 21-year-old lived, around the time she went missing in 2002.

Although detectives understand the vehicle was sold at an Oxfordshire auction in 2004, its whereabouts has not been known since.

Sean Memory, the senior investigating officer on the case, said: "It may have well been sold to an Irish man, who bought other cars at the same time.

"It may be that someone knows this man, or recognises the vehicle. It is possible that although it has not been registered, that it could be sitting in a backyard or garage.

"We need to know where it is or what has happened to it. I would like to hear from anyone who has information as they may be able to assist our investigation."

Police have no details on the whereabouts of the Volvo after June 2004

Wiltshire police revealed the Volvo has the registration plate T661 LGP.

Becky - full name Rebecca - was last seen on December 27, 2002.

In 2011, her remains were found buried in a field in East Leach, Gloucestershire. In April 2014, a further bone was discovered at the crime scene.

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Dave Lee Travis: The Fall Of A Familiar Face

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

Dave Lee Travis fought accusations that he was a sex pest for two years, and was acquitted of most of the charges against him at an earlier trial.

But a second jury has now decided that he is guilty of indecent assault.

At the height of his career, Travis was one of the most familiar faces in Britain. He presented Top of the Pops and the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

His real name is David Griffin, but his nickname was the "Hairy Cornflake". During his original trial he described himself as "a big hairy cuddly bear" who liked to hug friends and colleagues.

Travis admitted being tactile, but the women who testified against him claimed he went way beyond that, accusing him of groping them or worse.

Travis described himself as 'a big hairy cuddly bear'

When the DJ was arrested and questioned about allegations of indecent assault, the publicity prompted other women to come forward with stories of their encounters with him.

By the time he went on trial in February, he was facing 13 charges of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.

After a month-long trial, he was acquitted of all but two offences, which the jury could not reach a verdict on.

Much to Travis's anger, the Crown Prosecution Service decided on a retrial and added a new accusation from another complainant.  This time, he was convicted of a single count of indecent assault.

As the legal process dragged on, the DJ became more frustrated - and in July, he made a statement outside court, which at the time could not be broadcast for legal reasons.

He said: "In my estimation, the CPS has overcompensated for its failings with Savile and in doing so has taken away the human rights and the dignity of individuals by having the police arrest people first, then go out looking for the evidence."

Travis claimed the CPS 'overcompensated' for failings on the Savile case

Five months before he was first arrested, the Sunday Times published a story by Camilla Long which highlighted his behaviour.

She had visited his home to interview him because he was about to meet the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The article's headline read: "Dave Lee Travis: Look out, Suu Kyi - he's a bit touchy".

Ms Long wrote: "I spent 90 minutes with the former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis and I don't think there is a part of my body that he didn't grope.

"He fondled my foot, inched his hands up my thighs, tried to make me sit on his lap and kissed me. He copped a feel of my hips when I foolishly asked for a tour of his studio, stroked my chin and my back and gave me a full body hug as I left."

Ms Long was asked by the police whether she wanted to press charges and give evidence at his trial, but declined.

She told Sky News: "He didn't worry about getting consent too much, he just did it."

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For Sale: Prehistoric Woolly Mammoth Skeleton

By Ashish Joshi, Sky Correspondent

A rare woolly mammoth skeleton is being offered for sale in what could be the first auction of its kind in Britain.

The specimen is expected to attract interest from museums and private collectors around the world because it is almost fully intact.

Mammoth tusks and other parts of the ice-age animals do come up for sale sometimes, but having a whole body together is uncommon.

The skeleton is three-and-half metres high and five-and-a-half metres long

Rupert van Der Werff, director of Summers Place Auctions, which is selling the mammoth, said: "The buyer could be a private individual or a museum. Nearly complete skeletons are pretty rare. This is a fabulous skeleton in pretty good condition.

"All sorts of people are collectors. The most famous ones are John Travolta and Leonardo DiCaprio. It's something to really show off about."

The specimen stands at three-and-half metres high and is more than five-and-a-half metres long. It is thought to be an old male who would have weighed over six tonnes when it was alive.

It formed part of an old Eastern European collection and was sold to a private British collector. But its size prevented it being mounted.

The skeleton is fully intact and came from an Eastern European collection

"Mammoths died out quite a few thousand years ago and this has survived in such a remarkable condition," said Mr Werff.

"The size of the tusks indicate this was a pretty old and mature animal.

"Its bones are pretty robust. It was clearly a big, powerful, healthy animal that had a good long life."  

Last year a diplodocus skeleton sold at auction for more than £400,000. The mystery buyer has now been identified as Copenhagen's Natural History Museum. It is expected to be unveiled next week.

London's Natural History Museum did not bid for the dinosaur and has told Sky News it will not try to buy this mammoth.

Mr Werff said it was not easy trying to put a price on the prehistoric beast: "We don't think one has been sold at a British auction before.

"We've sold a number of pairs of mammoth tusks, so we've based our evaluation on that and come to an estimate of around £150,000 to £200,000. But we hope to be proved wrong and it sells for a lot more."

The auction will take place on November 26.

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Alice Gross Search: Forensic Tests On Knife

Forensic tests are being carried out on a knife found during the search for missing teenager Alice Gross.

The investigation into her disappearance is focusing on the River Brent and its banks near Ealing Hospital in west London, where the knife was found.

The search for 14-year-old Alice, who went missing after leaving her home in nearby Hanwell on August 28, is the biggest operation of its kind since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.

Arnis Zalkalns with police in Latvia. Pic: The Sun

Scotland Yard said: "The knife will be taken away for analysis but it is too early to say if it's connected."

Police have also released a new picture of prime suspect Arnis Zalkalns, taken with Latvian police after his wife was murdered in his home country.

The force has come under fire for taking four days to ask Latvian authorities for help in finding Zalkalns, who served seven years in prison for the killing of his wife, Rudite Zalkalns.

The knife was found in the River Brent, in west London

He went missing six days after Alice was last seen walking alongside the Grand Union Canal, not far from her home.

Zalkalns has not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since September 3, nor has he returned home to his partner and young child.

His passport was left at his house and police in Latvia have confirmed he has not entered the country by plane.

They said it is possible he could have got in undetected if he travelled by car or coach.

Zalkalns went missing days after Alice was last seen walking by a canal

Zalkalns was seen on CCTV footage cycling along a path by the Grand Union Canal 15 minutes after the last sighting of Alice.

Detectives believe he is likely to have seen Alice as they were both going north along the canal towpath.

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads detectives to find Alice.

Zalkalns is white, 5ft 10ins and stocky, with dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a pony tail.

Police have said that he "potentially poses a risk to the public" and have asked anyone who sees him not to approach him and to dial 999.

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Syria Airstrikes: PM In Talks Over UK Role

US And Arab Allies Attack IS Targets In Syria

Updated: 3:02pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

The US and five Arab countries have been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

Fighter jets, bombers and drones as well as 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two US ships in the northern Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were deployed in the aerial raids.

At least 70 IS fighters are said to have been killed in dozens of attacks, which also targeted al Qaeda veterans.

The strikes form part of the expanded military campaign against IS insurgents that was authorised two weeks ago by President Barack Obama. He is due to meet foreign leaders at the UN General Assembly later.

US Central Command said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar had either taken part in or supported the Syria raids although their exact roles were unclear.

The strikes did not involve the UK but Prime Minister David Cameron supported them and will discuss at the UN what contribution Britain can make, according to Downing Street.

Damascus said Washington informed Syria's UN envoy before launching the bombings against the Sunni insurgent group which have grabbed swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The US also carried out eight aerial raids on its own west of Aleppo against al Qaeda veterans - known as the Khorasan group - who were thought to be planning an "imminent attack" against US and Western interests.

The US military said it had destroyed or damaged multiple IS targets around the militant stronghold of Raqqa as well as Deir al Zor, Hasakah and the border town of Albu Kamal.

It said targets included IS fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance centre, supply trucks and armed vehicles.

Residents in Raqqa said last week that IS was moving underground after Mr Obama signalled on September 11 that air attacks on its forces could be expanded from Iraq to Syria.

The group had evacuated buildings it was using as offices, redeployed its heavy weaponry, and moved fighters' families out of the city, the residents said.

The strikes follow a summit of world leaders in Paris where agreement was reached to form a broad coalition to counter the advance of IS in Syria and to provide military aid to Iraq to fight the extremist network.

Military leaders have said about two thirds of the estimated 31,000 IS militants are in Syria.

Photographs taken in Raqqa showed wreckage of what IS fighters said was a drone that had been shot down.

Pieces of the wreckage, including what appeared to be part of a propellor, were shown loaded into the back of a van.

International efforts to combat the group have taken on an added urgency after the beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines, and the threat to kill UK hostage Alan Henning.

Meanwhile, a second propaganda video of another British hostage John Cantlie has been released by IS.

Speaking to the camera and seemingly under duress, he addresses the coalition of states targeting the group, though it is not clear when the video was filmed.

"Everyone now is getting involved," he said. "Denmark and France have sent air power, Britain is arming the Kurds, Iran is sending troops and contractors are being sought in Iraq.

"Even Bashar al Assad, until earlier this year the most hated and villainised tyrant in the Arab world, is being approached for permission to go into Syria.

"It's all quite a circus. Not since Vietnam have we witnessed such a potential mess in the making."

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Hillsborough: Fan Tells Of Friend's Ordeal

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

A Liverpool football supporter has described the moment he tried to save his friend from being crushed during the Hillsborough disaster.

David Cruice told the Hillsborough inquests that his friend became trapped against a crush barrier as the tragedy unfolded in Pen 3 at the stadium's Leppings Lane end during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.

Speaking via a videolink from Miami, Mr Cruice said his friend - named only as Andrew - became bent forward "at 90 degrees" over a crush barrier.

He said: "He looked round at me and his face was very, very red. His eyes were sort of very wide and there was significant distress and panic on his face."

The witness described how he tried in vain to pull his friend away from the barrier. He said he feared that, if he could not free him, his friend would die.

The police have been accused of not reacting fast enough

He said: "I was screaming or shouting for the people behind Andrew to help me get him off the barrier. I will always remember the sight. 

"Given how much pressure there was and what Andrew was going through, all the people around him were experiencing the same thing - just an unbelievable pressure - it seemed all these hands came over him from behind him and started pulling him back from the barrier as best they could.

"Even given the distress that people were in themselves, they were still doing everything they could to help others."

Mr Cruice said that, in the panic, he was unable to hold on to his friend's hand and suffered crushing injuries himself. He told the inquests jury the police seemed to be under the impression that people could simply move backwards to ease the pressure on fans at the front of the pen.

He said: "People were screaming at them to open the gates. They were shouting: 'People are dying in here!'"

The Liverpool fan said he returned to the point where he had last seen Andrew once the pressure started to ease and found him supporting himself against the crush barrier.

Mr Cruice told the Warrington hearing that the policing of the match in was disorganised compared with the previous year's FA cup semi-final at Hillsborough.

The hearing has heard that 96 Liverpool fans died at the match against Nottingham Forest following crushing in the central pens at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.

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Murder-Suicide Probe After Slough Train Deaths

Police are investigating whether a woman and child who were killed by a train in Slough died in a murder-suicide.

Chief Inspector Jenny Gilmer has ruled out any involvement by a third party in the deaths, which occurred around 9.45am.

She said the deaths are still being treated as suspicious, adding that murder-suicide is "one of the lines of inquiry that our officers will be pursuing, but we must not speculate".

The station was cordoned off for nearly six hours as police gathered evidence from the scene, leading to major disruption for First Great Western passengers.

At least 15 services, many of them beginning at London Paddington station, were cancelled and other journeys were delayed.

Officers searched the railway tracks and studied CCTV footage at the station. They have also spoken to several witnesses, both on the train and on the platform.

Ms Gilmer described the incident as "very upsetting and distressing for the driver and anyone who witnessed it".

"Officers were called to Slough railway station shortly before 9.45am following reports that two people had been struck by a train," she said.

"Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance also attended the incident and a woman and child were pronounced dead at the scene.

"The incident is currently being treated as suspicious and our detectives have launched a full investigation.

"But they do not believe there was any third-party involvement at the station.

"This is obviously a very tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with those affected."

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PM: Queen 'Purred Down Line' Over Scots Vote

David Cameron has been overheard describing how the Queen "purred" when he told her Scotland had voted No to independence.

Microphones picked up the Prime Minister telling former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg how Her Majesty reacted during their phone conversation on Friday morning.

He said: "The definition of relief is being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and ringing the Queen and saying 'It's alright, it's okay'. That was something.

"She purred down the line."

After a few seconds where the recording is not clear, Mr Cameron added: "But it should never have been that close.

A newspaper headline before the vote

"It wasn't in the end, but there was a time in the middle of the campaign when it felt…"

The next part of the conversation is inaudible before the Prime Minister, who is in New York for the UN general assembly, closed: "I've said I want to find these polling companies and I want to sue them for my stomach ulcers because of what they put me through.

"It was very nervous moments."

The conversation took place as Mr Cameron was being accompanied around the Bloomberg offices in front of TV cameras.

The Queen remained publicly impartial during the referendum campaign, but the Prime Minister's comments suggest she was relieved that Scots voted 55% to 45% in favour of retaining the Union.

Sky News Royal Correspondent Paul Harrison said Buckingham Palace would neither confirm nor deny whether the Queen purrs when she is happy.

He added: "Some will say this is incredibly indiscreet, and that conversations he has with the Queen shouldn't be passed on no matter who you are.

"The fact is, David Cameron has told Michael Bloomberg that when he delivered the news she was very happy - she purred down the line."

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Miliband Sets Six Goals For Britain's Future

Ed Miliband set out six national goals for the decade as he attempted to show voters he has what it takes to be Prime Minister.

In his last party conference speech before the general election, the Labour leader said the country must look to build a new future "together" because it could not afford "another five years of David Cameron".

The Labour leader put saving the NHS at the heart of his 10-year plan, saying a mansion tax on properties over £2m and taxes on the tobacco firms would be used to pay for it.

Mr Miliband said he wanted to

He said the country needed to change because it "does not work" and talked about breaking up the big banks, halving the number of Britons on low pay and tackling the cost of living.

In a speech which was overshadowed halfway through by Barack Obama's press conference on airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, he said: "You know this country does not work.

"My answer is we can build a better future for you and your family and this speech is about Labour's plan to do it - Labour's plan for Britain's future."

Mr Miliband was overshadowed by Barack Obama's speech on airstrikes

Speaking without notes, Mr Miliband outlined his six national goals: 

:: To reward people for hard work - raising the national wage to half the number of people on low pay

:: To tackle the cost of living crisis and make sure wages increased with economic growth, breaking up banks and taking power from Whitehall

:: Britain to create a million jobs in green industries - helping to tackle global climate change

:: Making sure as many school leavers go on to apprenticeships as go to university - companies who employ foreign workers will be expected to offer apprenticeships too, and those who want Government contracts will need to provide apprenticeships

:: Making the dream of home-ownership a reality by building more homes and making sure 400,000 first-time buyers a year get on property ladder

:: Save the NHS - provide a "truly 21st century health service" using the proceeds of a mansion tax on homes above £2m and a tax on tobacco firms

Ed Miliband kisses his wife Justine at the end of his speech

Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam said Labour appeared to have decided on an election campaign agenda that said: "The Government can help solve your problems."

Mr Miliband opened his speech by urging Mr Cameron to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution to "counter the threat" of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

He said the threats they had made against the British hostage Alan Henning, who is from Manchester where the conference was being held, meant action had to be taken.

Mr Miliband delivered his speech without notes

The Labour leader said Britain should not turn its back on the world, outlining a foreign policy which would see a Labour Government committed to finding a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians.

Mr Miliband also stressed the country should not walk away from the European Union, and thanked former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling for helping to deliver a no vote in the Scottish referendum.

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said Mr Miliband "failed to offer any serious plan to grow the economy".

"Labour simply don't have a long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain. Our country, our children and our grandchildren would be worse off under Ed Miliband's weak leadership."

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Dave Lee Travis Found Guilty Of Indecent Assault

Dave Lee Travis: The Fall Of A Familiar Face

Updated: 4:23pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

Dave Lee Travis fought accusations that he was a sex pest for two years, and was acquitted of most of the charges against him at an earlier trial.

But a second jury has now decided that he is guilty of indecent assault.

At the height of his career, Travis was one of the most familiar faces in Britain. He presented Top of the Pops and the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

His real name is David Griffin, but his nickname was the "Hairy Cornflake". During his original trial he described himself as "a big hairy cuddly bear" who liked to hug friends and colleagues.

Travis admitted being tactile, but the women who testified against him claimed he went way beyond that, accusing him of groping them or worse.

When the DJ was arrested and questioned about allegations of indecent assault, the publicity prompted other women to come forward with stories of their encounters with him.

By the time he went on trial in February, he was facing 13 charges of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.

After a month-long trial, he was acquitted of all but two offences, which the jury could not reach a verdict on.

Much to Travis's anger, the Crown Prosecution Service decided on a retrial and added a new accusation from another complainant.  This time, he was convicted of a single count of indecent assault.

As the legal process dragged on, the DJ became more frustrated - and in July, he made a statement outside court, which at the time could not be broadcast for legal reasons.

He said: "In my estimation, the CPS has overcompensated for its failings with Savile and in doing so has taken away the human rights and the dignity of individuals by having the police arrest people first, then go out looking for the evidence."

Five months before he was first arrested, the Sunday Times published a story by Camilla Long which highlighted his behaviour.

She had visited his home to interview him because he was about to meet the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The article's headline read: "Dave Lee Travis: Look out, Suu Kyi - he's a bit touchy".

Ms Long wrote: "I spent 90 minutes with the former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis and I don't think there is a part of my body that he didn't grope.

"He fondled my foot, inched his hands up my thighs, tried to make me sit on his lap and kissed me. He copped a feel of my hips when I foolishly asked for a tour of his studio, stroked my chin and my back and gave me a full body hug as I left."

Ms Long was asked by the police whether she wanted to press charges and give evidence at his trial, but declined.

She told Sky News: "He didn't worry about getting consent too much, he just did it."

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