September 5, 2010, 9:18 pm
![Image]( "MoD to name Afghan death soldiers")
A British soldier killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in southern Afghanistan and another who died in hospital in the UK are due to be named by the Ministry of Defence.
One serviceman, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed in an explosion in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand on Sunday.
Another from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, after he was injured in an explosion in the Nahr-e Saraj area of the province last month.
It has been a bloody year for British troops in Afghanistan, with 89 dying so far in 2010, bringing the total UK deaths since the start of operations in 2001 to 334.
Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with deep sorrow I must inform you that a soldier died of his wounds earlier today in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
"He was from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, serving as part of the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group, and had been seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Nahr-e Saraj on 24 August 2010.
"The soldier was part of a patrol that was preventing insurgents from disrupting the building of an important road that will allow local Afghans to travel more freely. His loss is a bitter blow but his bravery and selfless commitment to his men and the mission will never be forgotten. We will remember him."
Earlier he paid tribute to the soldier from The Royal Scots Borderers, who was serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force when he was killed by a blast.
He said: "The soldier, serving with the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, was part of an operation that was disrupting insurgents in northern Nad-e Ali when he was killed by a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
"Selfless in the course of his duty he will be missed by his many friends. He was an inspirational soldier. We will remember him."
↧
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:05 pm
![Image]( "Ed Balls attacks academies policy")
Education Secretary Michael Gove has "failed the fairness test" with his academy school policy by directing more funds at schools which are already performing well at the expense of those with the greatest needs, Labour's Ed Balls said.
While Labour's academies programme aimed to improve educational standards in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, Mr Gove's scheme is biased towards high-performing schools in less deprived areas, the shadow education secretary said.
Branding the Government's academy programme "elitist", Mr Balls said: "The only similarity between Labour's academies policy and Michael Gove's is that they have the same name."
At a Fabian Society event, Mr Balls will release research suggesting that the 32 schools which were fast-tracked to academy status by Mr Gove this term had fewer pupils with special needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds, compared to those approved by Labour ahead of the election.
Among the 64 schools reopening as academies this term under Labour's programme, some 13.8% of pupils had special educational needs, compared to 6.9% in the 32 academies opened under Mr Gove's scheme, he said.
The average child deprivation index for areas where the "Labour academies" are opening stood at 27%, compared to 17% for the areas served by the academies opening under the Tory scheme.
And exam results in the 32 academies opened under the coalition Government's programme were well above the national average, with 72.6% of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and maths last year. This compares to a national average of 50.7% and an average of 30.8% in the 64 academies approved by Labour.
Mr Balls said: "The Tory-Lib Dem government's policies fail the fairness test. This analysis of academies opening this term highlights the stark contrast between a progressive education policy under Labour to tackle disadvantage and under-performance and Michael Gove's elitist policy which is simply about rewarding schools that are already doing well.
"Through this new Tory academies policy, the Education Secretary is giving high-performing schools in less deprived areas and with fewer children with special educational needs more funding at the expense of schools which need it most. That cannot be fair by any definition of the word.
"Schools in more deprived areas with more children with special educational needs and lower results will be left with fewer resources than they need to tackle the barriers to learning their children face."
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Pressure for phone-hacking inquiry")
Pressure for a new probe into the News of the World phone-hacking case is mounting after police said they are ready to reopen their investigation.
Assistant Commissioner John Yates said the force had asked the New York Times to provide any new material it had relating to the matter, including an interview with former reporter Sean Hoare, who has claimed that Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson knew about News of the World staff eavesdropping on private messages when he was editor of the paper.
All five candidates in the Labour leadership contest also called for a fresh inquiry into unconfirmed claims that reporters listened in to the voicemail messages of a long list of prominent figures, including politicians and celebrities.
But Cabinet minister Michael Gove accused Labour of "recycling" old allegations in the hope of embarrassing Prime Minister David Cameron.
Mr Coulson came under renewed pressure last week after former journalists told the New York Times that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the newspaper acknowledged at the time. These claims have been rejected by the paper and Mr Coulson.
In his statement, Mr Yates said: "The New York Times contacted the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) about their investigation. Our stance remains as before.
"We have repeatedly asked them for any new material that they have for us to consider. We were never made aware of the material from Sean Hoare before the article's publication.
"We have sought additional information from them and will consider this material, along with Sean Hoare's recent BBC radio interview, and will consult the Crown Prosecution Service on how best to progress it.
Mr Yates also repeated the Met's assurance that there was "no evidence" that former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott's phone was hacked.
Lord Prescott has threatened to take legal action to force police to release any documents relating to him which were seized during an investigation which in 2007 led to journalist Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire being jailed.
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Safety fear drug 'still prescribed'")
A popular diabetes drug is still being prescribed two months after a safety body recommended its withdrawal amid concerns the drug can increase the risk of heart attacks, it has been revealed.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) called for the immediate withdrawal of rosiglitazone, marketed as Avandia, saying the top-selling drug should never have been licensed.
An investigation found the Commission on Human Medicines advised an expert committee of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in July to withdraw the drug as the "risks of rosiglitazone outweigh its benefits". They said it "no longer has a place on the UK market".
Rosiglitazone, which is manufactured by Glaxo SmithKline (GSK), was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2000 to help lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
GSK said their "extensive research" showed the drug was "safe and effective when it is prescribed appropriately".
But since its approval several studies have suggested the drug may lead to a small overall increase in the risk of heart attacks and the BMJ's investigations editor, Dr Deborah Cohen, said the European approval process was not rigorous enough.
She also raised concerns about the quality of the data used by GSK, the lack of publicly available trial results for independent scientific scrutiny, and failures to act swiftly on emerging safety fears.
The journal said doctors were advising that no new patients should start taking the drug and patients already using rosiglitazone should review their options. Those at higher risk of heart disease should be advised to stop taking it.
Professor Nick Freemantle at the University of Birmingham called for an overhaul in the standards of regulatory trials, saying: "In order to learn from our mistakes, we must improve the quality of safety data from clinical trials on all new health care interventions, not just antidiabetic drugs."
And Professor John Yudkin of University College London said: "Ten years after the release of rosiglitazone, we still cannot accurately quantify the harm to which we were exposing our patients. We need to be absolutely certain that our long term treatments for type 2 diabetes are not causing the very harm they are meant to prevent."
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Rice tells of Bush row after 9/11")
Condoleezza Rice ordered George Bush not to return to Washington after the 9/11 attacks before hanging up the phone, the former national security adviser has revealed in a documentary interview.
In a heated exchange, Ms Rice had to argue with the US President in Florida not to return to the White House because it was a potential terrorist target.
She told the Channel 4 documentary: "The President got on the phone and he said: 'I'm coming back'.
"I said: 'You cannot come back here. The United States of America is under attack, you have to go to safety. We don't know what is going on here'. He said: 'I'm coming back'. I said: 'You can't'.
"I said to him in a raised voice, and I had never raised my voice to the president before, I said: 'You cannot come back here'. I hung up.
"The president was quite annoyed with me to say the least.
"I've known the president a long time and I knew that he wanted nothing more than to be there at the helm of the ship."
Ms Rice also revealed that the bunker beneath the White House where she was sheltering with vice-president Dick Cheney began to run out of air.
She said: "There were so many people in the bunker that the oxygen levels started dropping and the secret service came in and said we've got to get some people out of here. They literally went around telling people that they weren't essential and they had to leave."
The documentary, 9/11: State of Emergency, which also features interviews with military leaders, air traffic controllers, and ordinary people caught up in the attacks, will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Saturday September 11 at 9pm.
↧
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "'Business as usual' for Rooney")
Wayne Rooney's career will not be affected by allegations about his private life, publicist Max Clifford has said.
Despite the lurid headlines in two Sunday newspapers, Rooney is set to travel to Switzerland on Monday for England's Euro qualifier.
Team-mate James Milner said he expects the striker to continue performing for the national side and Mr Clifford said as long as he keeps scoring goals the fans will not care.
Mr Clifford said: "The only thing Wayne Rooney has to worry about is his wife, whether she like all the others, is prepared to accept her husband's alleged infidelities. Nobody in football gives a monkey's as long as he's winning on the pitch.
"Man United fans love him. He could be a mass murderer as long as he's scoring goals.
"(England manager Fabio) Capello can't demote him because that would mean he couldn't play and the team needs him. Rival fans will have something else to shout about, but so what?"
Earlier, a spokesman for electronic game firm EA Sports, one of Rooney's sponsors, said: "This is a personal matter and we respect Wayne and his family's privacy. We have worked together for six years and Wayne continues to represent EA Sports. We will be making no further comment at this time."
A press conference ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland was dominated by questions about the allegations.
The News of the World said Rooney paid more than a thousand pounds a time to have sex with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant with their first child.
Manchester City midfielder Milner said it was business as usual for the squad and Rooney took part in the full training session.
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Rebellion possible over vote reform")
The coalition Government faces its first big test in the Commons as MPs return from their summer break when plans for electoral reform could spark a backbench rebellion.
Some Tories are unhappy with plans to hold a referendum to change the Westminster voting rules on the same day as voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland elect members of their devolved legislatures.
The referendum, set to be held on May 5, 2011, was a key concession for the Liberal Democrats entering into coalition with the Conservatives. It will propose replacing Westminster's current first-past-the-post system with the Alternative Vote (AV).
The plebiscite will be a test of the coalition's strength, with Prime Minister David Cameron set to campaign against a switch to AV while Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will back the change.
But already there are rumblings of discontent among Tory backbenchers. So far, 43 of their number have signed a Commons motion calling for the date of the referendum to be changed because of fears the vote could effectively be skewed.
Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex), who tabled the motion, said he would be supporting today's second reading of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill but indicated he was unhappy with its timing.
The former Tory frontbencher said: "I will be supporting the second reading but I am not so sure about the timing of the bill. I don't expect more than a handful of colleagues will be voting against this."
Labour will argue that the referendum on AV - which the party backed in its manifesto - should not be combined with measures to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and to harmonise constituency boundaries, which shadow justice secretary Jack Straw has likened to "gerrymandering".
He will be backed by the SNP who have refused to support the Bill unless the proposed date of the poll is changed so it does not clash with the elections to the devolved administrations.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph ahead of the vote, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg said: "We both recognise that there are concerns about the current system. And we agree that the decision is not, in any case for government alone. It should be taken by the people themselves. That is why both our parties support putting this question to a referendum next May."
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Ex-headteacher sentenced for abuse")
A former boarding school head is due to be sentenced after being convicted of abusing boy pupils during the 1970s and 1980s.
Derek Slade, 61, of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, was convicted of more than 50 offences.
A jury at Ipswich Crown Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting and beating 12 boys aged between eight and 13 between 1978 and 1983.
Jurors heard that Slade ran St George's private school, which was initially based in Wicklewood, Norfolk, then moved to Great Finborough, Suffolk, in 1980. Prosecutors said Slade hit boys with a slipper, a table tennis bat and his bare hand then ordered youngsters to write about "whackings I have had".
Slade was arrested after former pupils complained two years ago. One victim said he had never told his parents what had happened, while another described Slade's assaults as "reigns of terror".
He had admitted assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences. He denied other allegations of assault and indecent assault but was found guilty after a month-long trial.
Slade admitted being a paedophile and told jurors that there was a sexual motive behind the corporal punishment he inflicted. But he denied more serious sexual assaults, including prosecution allegations that he hosted "midnight feasts" where boys would be abused.
The court heard that Oxford-educated Slade, who has no teaching qualifications, set up the school with colleagues.
St George's had been in the spotlight in 1982 when a BBC radio programme reported on its harsh regime, the court heard.
Detective chief inspector Adrian Randall said around a dozen officers had worked on the inquiry for about 18 months - although he said he could not put a figure on the cost. He said: "Whilst Slade may have committed these offences 30 years ago, for the victims their pain remains very real. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for these men to come forward and try to make sense of what happened to them decades ago as defenceless young boys."
↧
September 5, 2010, 10:13 pm
![Image]( "Blair may shelve signing after demo")
Former prime minister Tony Blair is considering cancelling a high-profile signing of his new memoir because of planned protests.
Mr Blair said he was concerned about the potential "hassle and cost" to the police of pressing ahead with Wednesday's event in central London.
Eggs and shoes were thrown by demonstrators at a previous signing in Dublin and anti-war groups have promised a mass protest outside the Waterstone's store in Piccadilly.
The ex-PM said it was "sad" that people wanted to disrupt such events but indicated he may call it off amid evidence that other hostile groups were set to join in.
Speaking on ITV1's new Daybreak programme about his book - A Journey - he said: "To be frank about it, I am concerned. I do not want to put everyone through a lot of cost and hassle on this Wednesday's signing so I am thinking about that."
He said the Metropolitan Police were "fabulous and they will do whatever we ask them to do" but should not be asked to commit resources unnecessarily.
"The book is selling fantastically. There are people - particularly now the BNP apparently say they want to get in on the action - you end up just causing a lot of hassle for people and cost when there are better things for the police to do and it's not as if we need to do it.
"It is sad at the same time, frankly. If people want to have a book signed, people should protest but not try and physically prevent you doing it."
↧
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:15 am
![Image]( "Rooney joins England team on flight")
Wayne Rooney has flown to Switzerland with the England squad as lurid allegations about his private life threatened once again to overshadow his performance on the pitch.
The Manchester United star was included in manager Fabio Capello's squad despite newspaper reports that he bedded a prostitute while wife Coleen was pregnant with their first child.
Rooney, 24, who appeared grim-faced as he jetted off with the rest of the team from Luton Airport on Monday morning, has so far made no comment about the allegations.
But team-mate James Milner said on Sunday that he expects the striker to continue performing for the national side.
And publicist Max Clifford said as long as Rooney keeps scoring goals, the fans will not care.
Rooney is considered a vital presence in the team which takes on Switzerland in a Euro qualifier on Tuesday night.
Mr Clifford said: "The only thing Wayne Rooney has to worry about is his wife, whether she, like all the others, is prepared to accept her husband's alleged infidelities.
"Nobody in football gives a monkey's as long as he's winning on the pitch."
Mr Clifford said Rooney's sponsors were also likely to stick with the player, adding: "Will it stop people drinking Tiger Beer? No. Will it stop people buying Coca Cola? No. Will it stop parents buying Nike for their children? No."
A spokesman for electronic game firm EA Sports, one of Rooney's sponsors, said: "This is a personal matter, and we respect Wayne and his family's privacy. We have worked together for six years and Wayne continues to represent EA Sports. We will be making no further comment at this time."
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:24 am
![Image]( "Ashley Cole's bachelor pad burgled")
Ashley Cole's new bachelor pad has been burgled while the footballer was away with the England team.
Detectives are waiting to talk to the Chelsea defender to find out what was stolen from the flat in Esher, Surrey.
The 29-year-old had been preparing with the England squad for Tuesday's Switzerland game when thieves raided the property on Saturday afternoon.
The break-in came just a day after Cole's "quickie divorce" from X Factor judge Cheryl.
A Surrey police spokesman said: "We can confirm that Surrey police is investigating a break-in at a property in Portsmouth Road, Esher, on Saturday afternoon. No-one was injured and inquiries are continuing."
In February burglars fled empty-handed after trying to break into the £4.5 million Surrey mansion he shared with his ex-wife.
The pop star filed for divorce on the grounds of Cole's unreasonable behaviour in the wake of public allegations about the England and Chelsea defender's infidelity.
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:40 am
![Image]( "Coulson 'happy to meet police'")
Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson has told police that he would be happy to meet them voluntarily to discuss fresh phone-hacking allegations.
Friends stressed that he had not been contacted by police, but a spokesman for the former News of the World (NotW) editor said he would be prepared to co-operate with Scotland Yard following claims by ex-NotW journalist Sean Hoare.
A spokesman for the aide said: "Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare's claims."
Mr Hoare has claimed Mr Coulson knew of eavesdropping tactics used at the newspaper during his time in charge, something he has consistently denied.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said that he would be prepared to investigate Mr Hoare's allegations, which first surfaced in the New York Times.
Mr Coulson came under renewed pressure last week after former journalists told the US paper that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the News of the World acknowledged at the time.
Labour MPs and ex-deputy prime minister Lord Prescott have called for a fresh inquiry. Additionally, Lord Prescott is also seeking clarification from the Met over whether his phone was tapped.
Mr Yates told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We have always said that if any new material, new evidence, was produced we would consider it."
The NotW's former royal editor, Clive Goodman, and a private investigator used by the newspaper were jailed in 2007 following phone hacking revelations.
Mr Coulson said at the time that he had not known of the practice but resigned his editorship, before joining then opposition leader David Cameron as communications chief, moving with him into No 10.
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:40 am
![Image]( "Vicar jailed over sham marriages")
A Church of England vicar has been jailed for four years for his part in Britain's biggest sham marriage fraud to help hundreds of illegal immigrants stay in Britain.
The Reverend Alex Brown, 61, abused his position to marry hundreds of desperate African men to hard-up Eastern European women at his small parish church.
Over a four-year period, the "massive and cynical scam" involved women being paid up to £3,000 to wed to help illegal immigrants gain permanent residency in Britain.
He presided over 383 marriages at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, between July 2005 and July 2009, a 30-fold rise in marriages held over the previous four years.
He was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday after being found guilty at Lewes Crown Court in July of conspiring to facilitate the commission of breaches of immigration laws, alongside solicitor Michael Adelasoye, 50, and "recruiter" Vladymyr Buchak, 33.
Earnings for the church rocketed from £1,000 before the hundreds of marriages occurred, to around £22,000 for the first six months of 2009.
One bride told how she had to hand back her borrowed wedding dress hours after she had gone through with a ceremony, while one husband-to-be went under the name "Felix Spaceman".
A large proportion of the Africans who went through with the sham marriages had arrived lawfully in the UK, either through the asylum process or by gaining a student visa.
Investigators said it was when they had "reached the end of the line" in their legal applications and appeals to stay in the UK permanently that they went through the sham marriage process.
The gang were caught following an investigation by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) after caseworkers noticed a surge in immigration applications involving people who had married at the church.
↧
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:40 am
![Image]( "Bailed violent immigrant on the run")
A violent criminal whom British authorities tried to deport to Iraq has gone on the run after being granted bail by an immigration judge, it has emerged.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) "strongly opposed" bail being given to Kawa ali Azad, 34, who his ex-partner has said has threatened to kill her.
Azad, an Iraqi Kurd, breached the bail terms of his release by failing to appear at a police station to have an electronic tag fitted and then breached a restraining order by threatening his ex-partner, the Daily Mail reported.
Tania Doherty and their son are now living in fear and have been given a new identity as Azad remains on the run more than five months after being bailed from Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow.
Miss Doherty, whose new identity cannot be revealed, told the Daily Mail: "I just cannot believe he was released. I am disgusted. Human rights are a joke as far as I'm concerned."
She told how Azad was jailed for attacking her on Eastbourne beach in East Sussex after she ended their relationship.
In a statement, the UKBA said: "The UK Border Agency removed Mr Azad in October 2009 after he was convicted of dangerous driving and violence, but the Iraqi authorities refused to accept him.
"Since then we have revised our arrangements for return to Iraq, which have enabled us to remove Iraqi citizens with no right to stay in the UK, to Baghdad.
"Following his return to the UK, Mr Azad was released on bail by an immigration judge. This was strongly opposed by the UK Border Agency."
Sussex Police confirmed they were looking to arrest Azad on suspicion of breaching a restraining order issued at Hove Crown Court under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
↧
September 6, 2010, 1:40 am
![Image]( "Five injured in street knife fight")
Five young men have suffered multiple stab wounds in an apparent knife fight.
The men - all believed to be in their late teens and early 20s - were found in the early hours of Monday near the O2 Arena, in Greenwich, south-east London.
Their conditions were not believed to life-threatening, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
Police are yet to make any arrests in connection with the attacks.
Officers were initially told of one man being stabbed near North Greenwich bus station at 2am, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
He added: "Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and on arrival found the victim, aged late teens/early 20s, suffering stab wounds.
"Four other victims, all male, aged late teens/early 20s, were also suffering stab wounds.
"Three were taken to an east London hospital, the other two to a south London hospital.
"Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing. There have been no arrests at this time."
↧
September 6, 2010, 2:28 am
![Image]( "May faces MPs quiz on phone hacking")
Home Secretary Theresa May will be forced to answer MPs' questions over newspaper phone-hacking allegations as David Cameron's communications chief offered to meet police to discuss the case.
Amid mounting pressure for an official Government statement, Commons Speaker John Bercow approved an urgent question from Labour former minister Tom Watson.
It came after Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World (NotW), told police he would be happy to meet them voluntarily to discuss the allegations.
Fresh attention has been focused on the case after a former NotW journalist Sean Hoare claimed Mr Coulson knew of eavesdropping tactics used at the newspaper during his time in charge.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister retained full confidence in Mr Coulson, who has consistently denied the claims, and that the new allegations made no difference to his position.
A spokesman for Mr Coulson said he had not been contacted by the police but was "happy to voluntarily meet with them following allegations made by Sean Hoare".
"Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare's claims," he added.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said he would be prepared to investigate Mr Hoare's allegations, which first surfaced in the New York Times.
Labour MPs and ex-deputy prime minister Lord Prescott have called for a fresh inquiry, and Lord Prescott is also seeking clarification from the Met over whether his phone was tapped.
↧
September 6, 2010, 2:28 am
![Image]( "Ex-headteacher jailed for abuse")
A former boarding school head convicted of abusing boy pupils during the 1970s and 1980s has been handed a 21-year jail term.
Derek Slade, 61, of Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had been convicted of more than 50 offences.
A jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting and beating 12 boys aged between eight and 13 between 1978 and 1983 following at trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
Jurors heard that Slade ran St George's private school, which was initially based in Wicklewood, Norfolk, then moved to Great Finborough, Suffolk, in 1980.
Prosecutors said Slade hit boys with a slipper, a table tennis bat and his bare hand then ordered youngsters to write about "whackings I have had".
Slade was arrested after former pupils complained two years ago. One victim said he had never told his parents what had happened, while another described Slade's assaults as "reigns of terror".
He had admitted assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences. He denied other allegations of assault and indecent assault, but was found guilty.
Slade admitted being a paedophile and told jurors that there was a sexual motive behind the corporal punishment he inflicted.
But he denied more serious sexual assaults, including prosecution allegations that he hosted "midnight feasts" where boys would be abused.
↧
↧
September 6, 2010, 2:37 am
![Image]( "Boy takes 'pipe bomb' to school")
A principal has hit out after 400 children were sent home because of a security alert at a school in Northern Ireland.
Army explosives experts were called to St Comgall's Primary School in Antrim when one of the pupils, an eight-year-old boy, carried a suspected pipe bomb into the classroom.
Police later confirmed they were treating the object as suspicious.
The children were immediately evacuated to a nearby church hall and then sent home.
Headteacher Hilary Cush said he was outraged.
He said: "It's absolutely crazy. It's unbelievable that innocent children should be caught up in something like this."
↧
September 6, 2010, 6:43 am
![Image]( "Spy probe police release CCTV image")
Officers investigating the death of British code-breaker Gareth Williams, whose decomposing body was found padlocked inside a holdall in his bath, have released CCTV footage of him as they appealed for the public's help.
Scotland Yard want to identify a man and a woman, both of Mediterranean appearance, who were let into the communal entrance of his flat in Pimlico, central London, late one evening in June or July.
A police spokesman added that no drugs, or indications of drug usage were recovered from the property.
Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline Sebire, who is leading the inquiry for the force's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "I would appeal to anyone who may have seen, or had contact with Gareth in the period between 11th and 23rd August to come forward and speak with us at the Incident Room on 020 8358 0200, or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
"This remains a complex unexplained death inquiry."
Police said post-mortem examinations found "no obvious cause of death" and initial indications from toxicology tests showed no trace of any alcohol or routine or recreational drugs. Testing for any other substance continues.
A force spokesman added there was no sign of any forced entry to his flat, no signs of disturbance inside and no property was believed to be missing.
"There is no suggestion the items within the flat were specifically posed," he said.
Officers want to trace two people, aged 20-30, who were let in to Mr Williams' block of flats in Alderney Street, Pimlico, late one evening in June or July.
As part of their appeal, Scotland Yard released CCTV images of the 30-year-old entering Holland Park Underground station at about 3pm on August 14.
↧
September 6, 2010, 6:43 am
![Image]( "Pupil finds 'pipe bomb' at school")
A boy has found a pipe bomb lying in his primary school playground in Northern Ireland.
Brendan Shannon, eight, then walked into St Comgall's Primary in Antrim and handed it over to one of the teachers.
Explosives experts were called in after the school's 400 pupils were told to stay away from the building.
Brendan's mother Siobhan Shannon, a nurse, said later: "The people who left that device probably have kids of their own. Have they no conscience?"
The boy and his twin sister, Ciara, had arrived early on their bicycles to help deliver milk to classrooms when he noticed the device lying on top of a painted line close to the playground wall.
He said: "I didn't know what it was. It was like a pipe with a screw and some wires were hanging out of it. Somebody told me afterwards it was a pipe bomb."
Brendan gave the device to one of the teachers, Marie Hannigan. Around the same there was a telephone warning of another device at a second primary school in the town, St Joseph's.
The St Comgall's pupils were first taken to a nearby church hall before being sent home. Police said the people responsible for the alerts were cowardly criminals.
School principal Hilary Cush said he was outraged.
He said: "It's absolutely crazy. It's unbelievable that innocent children should be caught up in something like this."
↧
A British soldier killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in southern Afghanistan and another who died in hospital in the UK are due to be named by the Ministry of Defence.
One serviceman, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed in an explosion in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand on Sunday.
Another from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, after he was injured in an explosion in the Nahr-e Saraj area of the province last month.
It has been a bloody year for British troops in Afghanistan, with 89 dying so far in 2010, bringing the total UK deaths since the start of operations in 2001 to 334.
Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is with deep sorrow I must inform you that a soldier died of his wounds earlier today in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
"He was from the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, serving as part of the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group, and had been seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Nahr-e Saraj on 24 August 2010.
"The soldier was part of a patrol that was preventing insurgents from disrupting the building of an important road that will allow local Afghans to travel more freely. His loss is a bitter blow but his bravery and selfless commitment to his men and the mission will never be forgotten. We will remember him."
Earlier he paid tribute to the soldier from The Royal Scots Borderers, who was serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force when he was killed by a blast.
He said: "The soldier, serving with the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, was part of an operation that was disrupting insurgents in northern Nad-e Ali when he was killed by a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
"Selfless in the course of his duty he will be missed by his many friends. He was an inspirational soldier. We will remember him."
Education Secretary Michael Gove has "failed the fairness test" with his academy school policy by directing more funds at schools which are already performing well at the expense of those with the greatest needs, Labour's Ed Balls said.
While Labour's academies programme aimed to improve educational standards in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, Mr Gove's scheme is biased towards high-performing schools in less deprived areas, the shadow education secretary said.
Branding the Government's academy programme "elitist", Mr Balls said: "The only similarity between Labour's academies policy and Michael Gove's is that they have the same name."
At a Fabian Society event, Mr Balls will release research suggesting that the 32 schools which were fast-tracked to academy status by Mr Gove this term had fewer pupils with special needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds, compared to those approved by Labour ahead of the election.
Among the 64 schools reopening as academies this term under Labour's programme, some 13.8% of pupils had special educational needs, compared to 6.9% in the 32 academies opened under Mr Gove's scheme, he said.
The average child deprivation index for areas where the "Labour academies" are opening stood at 27%, compared to 17% for the areas served by the academies opening under the Tory scheme.
And exam results in the 32 academies opened under the coalition Government's programme were well above the national average, with 72.6% of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and maths last year. This compares to a national average of 50.7% and an average of 30.8% in the 64 academies approved by Labour.
Mr Balls said: "The Tory-Lib Dem government's policies fail the fairness test. This analysis of academies opening this term highlights the stark contrast between a progressive education policy under Labour to tackle disadvantage and under-performance and Michael Gove's elitist policy which is simply about rewarding schools that are already doing well.
"Through this new Tory academies policy, the Education Secretary is giving high-performing schools in less deprived areas and with fewer children with special educational needs more funding at the expense of schools which need it most. That cannot be fair by any definition of the word.
"Schools in more deprived areas with more children with special educational needs and lower results will be left with fewer resources than they need to tackle the barriers to learning their children face."
Pressure for a new probe into the News of the World phone-hacking case is mounting after police said they are ready to reopen their investigation.
Assistant Commissioner John Yates said the force had asked the New York Times to provide any new material it had relating to the matter, including an interview with former reporter Sean Hoare, who has claimed that Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson knew about News of the World staff eavesdropping on private messages when he was editor of the paper.
All five candidates in the Labour leadership contest also called for a fresh inquiry into unconfirmed claims that reporters listened in to the voicemail messages of a long list of prominent figures, including politicians and celebrities.
But Cabinet minister Michael Gove accused Labour of "recycling" old allegations in the hope of embarrassing Prime Minister David Cameron.
Mr Coulson came under renewed pressure last week after former journalists told the New York Times that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the newspaper acknowledged at the time. These claims have been rejected by the paper and Mr Coulson.
In his statement, Mr Yates said: "The New York Times contacted the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) about their investigation. Our stance remains as before.
"We have repeatedly asked them for any new material that they have for us to consider. We were never made aware of the material from Sean Hoare before the article's publication.
"We have sought additional information from them and will consider this material, along with Sean Hoare's recent BBC radio interview, and will consult the Crown Prosecution Service on how best to progress it.
Mr Yates also repeated the Met's assurance that there was "no evidence" that former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott's phone was hacked.
Lord Prescott has threatened to take legal action to force police to release any documents relating to him which were seized during an investigation which in 2007 led to journalist Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire being jailed.
A popular diabetes drug is still being prescribed two months after a safety body recommended its withdrawal amid concerns the drug can increase the risk of heart attacks, it has been revealed.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) called for the immediate withdrawal of rosiglitazone, marketed as Avandia, saying the top-selling drug should never have been licensed.
An investigation found the Commission on Human Medicines advised an expert committee of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in July to withdraw the drug as the "risks of rosiglitazone outweigh its benefits". They said it "no longer has a place on the UK market".
Rosiglitazone, which is manufactured by Glaxo SmithKline (GSK), was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2000 to help lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
GSK said their "extensive research" showed the drug was "safe and effective when it is prescribed appropriately".
But since its approval several studies have suggested the drug may lead to a small overall increase in the risk of heart attacks and the BMJ's investigations editor, Dr Deborah Cohen, said the European approval process was not rigorous enough.
She also raised concerns about the quality of the data used by GSK, the lack of publicly available trial results for independent scientific scrutiny, and failures to act swiftly on emerging safety fears.
The journal said doctors were advising that no new patients should start taking the drug and patients already using rosiglitazone should review their options. Those at higher risk of heart disease should be advised to stop taking it.
Professor Nick Freemantle at the University of Birmingham called for an overhaul in the standards of regulatory trials, saying: "In order to learn from our mistakes, we must improve the quality of safety data from clinical trials on all new health care interventions, not just antidiabetic drugs."
And Professor John Yudkin of University College London said: "Ten years after the release of rosiglitazone, we still cannot accurately quantify the harm to which we were exposing our patients. We need to be absolutely certain that our long term treatments for type 2 diabetes are not causing the very harm they are meant to prevent."
Condoleezza Rice ordered George Bush not to return to Washington after the 9/11 attacks before hanging up the phone, the former national security adviser has revealed in a documentary interview.
In a heated exchange, Ms Rice had to argue with the US President in Florida not to return to the White House because it was a potential terrorist target.
She told the Channel 4 documentary: "The President got on the phone and he said: 'I'm coming back'.
"I said: 'You cannot come back here. The United States of America is under attack, you have to go to safety. We don't know what is going on here'. He said: 'I'm coming back'. I said: 'You can't'.
"I said to him in a raised voice, and I had never raised my voice to the president before, I said: 'You cannot come back here'. I hung up.
"The president was quite annoyed with me to say the least.
"I've known the president a long time and I knew that he wanted nothing more than to be there at the helm of the ship."
Ms Rice also revealed that the bunker beneath the White House where she was sheltering with vice-president Dick Cheney began to run out of air.
She said: "There were so many people in the bunker that the oxygen levels started dropping and the secret service came in and said we've got to get some people out of here. They literally went around telling people that they weren't essential and they had to leave."
The documentary, 9/11: State of Emergency, which also features interviews with military leaders, air traffic controllers, and ordinary people caught up in the attacks, will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Saturday September 11 at 9pm.
Wayne Rooney's career will not be affected by allegations about his private life, publicist Max Clifford has said.
Despite the lurid headlines in two Sunday newspapers, Rooney is set to travel to Switzerland on Monday for England's Euro qualifier.
Team-mate James Milner said he expects the striker to continue performing for the national side and Mr Clifford said as long as he keeps scoring goals the fans will not care.
Mr Clifford said: "The only thing Wayne Rooney has to worry about is his wife, whether she like all the others, is prepared to accept her husband's alleged infidelities. Nobody in football gives a monkey's as long as he's winning on the pitch.
"Man United fans love him. He could be a mass murderer as long as he's scoring goals.
"(England manager Fabio) Capello can't demote him because that would mean he couldn't play and the team needs him. Rival fans will have something else to shout about, but so what?"
Earlier, a spokesman for electronic game firm EA Sports, one of Rooney's sponsors, said: "This is a personal matter and we respect Wayne and his family's privacy. We have worked together for six years and Wayne continues to represent EA Sports. We will be making no further comment at this time."
A press conference ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland was dominated by questions about the allegations.
The News of the World said Rooney paid more than a thousand pounds a time to have sex with a prostitute while his wife Coleen was pregnant with their first child.
Manchester City midfielder Milner said it was business as usual for the squad and Rooney took part in the full training session.
The coalition Government faces its first big test in the Commons as MPs return from their summer break when plans for electoral reform could spark a backbench rebellion.
Some Tories are unhappy with plans to hold a referendum to change the Westminster voting rules on the same day as voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland elect members of their devolved legislatures.
The referendum, set to be held on May 5, 2011, was a key concession for the Liberal Democrats entering into coalition with the Conservatives. It will propose replacing Westminster's current first-past-the-post system with the Alternative Vote (AV).
The plebiscite will be a test of the coalition's strength, with Prime Minister David Cameron set to campaign against a switch to AV while Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will back the change.
But already there are rumblings of discontent among Tory backbenchers. So far, 43 of their number have signed a Commons motion calling for the date of the referendum to be changed because of fears the vote could effectively be skewed.
Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex), who tabled the motion, said he would be supporting today's second reading of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill but indicated he was unhappy with its timing.
The former Tory frontbencher said: "I will be supporting the second reading but I am not so sure about the timing of the bill. I don't expect more than a handful of colleagues will be voting against this."
Labour will argue that the referendum on AV - which the party backed in its manifesto - should not be combined with measures to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and to harmonise constituency boundaries, which shadow justice secretary Jack Straw has likened to "gerrymandering".
He will be backed by the SNP who have refused to support the Bill unless the proposed date of the poll is changed so it does not clash with the elections to the devolved administrations.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph ahead of the vote, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg said: "We both recognise that there are concerns about the current system. And we agree that the decision is not, in any case for government alone. It should be taken by the people themselves. That is why both our parties support putting this question to a referendum next May."
A former boarding school head is due to be sentenced after being convicted of abusing boy pupils during the 1970s and 1980s.
Derek Slade, 61, of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, was convicted of more than 50 offences.
A jury at Ipswich Crown Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting and beating 12 boys aged between eight and 13 between 1978 and 1983.
Jurors heard that Slade ran St George's private school, which was initially based in Wicklewood, Norfolk, then moved to Great Finborough, Suffolk, in 1980. Prosecutors said Slade hit boys with a slipper, a table tennis bat and his bare hand then ordered youngsters to write about "whackings I have had".
Slade was arrested after former pupils complained two years ago. One victim said he had never told his parents what had happened, while another described Slade's assaults as "reigns of terror".
He had admitted assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences. He denied other allegations of assault and indecent assault but was found guilty after a month-long trial.
Slade admitted being a paedophile and told jurors that there was a sexual motive behind the corporal punishment he inflicted. But he denied more serious sexual assaults, including prosecution allegations that he hosted "midnight feasts" where boys would be abused.
The court heard that Oxford-educated Slade, who has no teaching qualifications, set up the school with colleagues.
St George's had been in the spotlight in 1982 when a BBC radio programme reported on its harsh regime, the court heard.
Detective chief inspector Adrian Randall said around a dozen officers had worked on the inquiry for about 18 months - although he said he could not put a figure on the cost. He said: "Whilst Slade may have committed these offences 30 years ago, for the victims their pain remains very real. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for these men to come forward and try to make sense of what happened to them decades ago as defenceless young boys."
Former prime minister Tony Blair is considering cancelling a high-profile signing of his new memoir because of planned protests.
Mr Blair said he was concerned about the potential "hassle and cost" to the police of pressing ahead with Wednesday's event in central London.
Eggs and shoes were thrown by demonstrators at a previous signing in Dublin and anti-war groups have promised a mass protest outside the Waterstone's store in Piccadilly.
The ex-PM said it was "sad" that people wanted to disrupt such events but indicated he may call it off amid evidence that other hostile groups were set to join in.
Speaking on ITV1's new Daybreak programme about his book - A Journey - he said: "To be frank about it, I am concerned. I do not want to put everyone through a lot of cost and hassle on this Wednesday's signing so I am thinking about that."
He said the Metropolitan Police were "fabulous and they will do whatever we ask them to do" but should not be asked to commit resources unnecessarily.
"The book is selling fantastically. There are people - particularly now the BNP apparently say they want to get in on the action - you end up just causing a lot of hassle for people and cost when there are better things for the police to do and it's not as if we need to do it.
"It is sad at the same time, frankly. If people want to have a book signed, people should protest but not try and physically prevent you doing it."
Wayne Rooney has flown to Switzerland with the England squad as lurid allegations about his private life threatened once again to overshadow his performance on the pitch.
The Manchester United star was included in manager Fabio Capello's squad despite newspaper reports that he bedded a prostitute while wife Coleen was pregnant with their first child.
Rooney, 24, who appeared grim-faced as he jetted off with the rest of the team from Luton Airport on Monday morning, has so far made no comment about the allegations.
But team-mate James Milner said on Sunday that he expects the striker to continue performing for the national side.
And publicist Max Clifford said as long as Rooney keeps scoring goals, the fans will not care.
Rooney is considered a vital presence in the team which takes on Switzerland in a Euro qualifier on Tuesday night.
Mr Clifford said: "The only thing Wayne Rooney has to worry about is his wife, whether she, like all the others, is prepared to accept her husband's alleged infidelities.
"Nobody in football gives a monkey's as long as he's winning on the pitch."
Mr Clifford said Rooney's sponsors were also likely to stick with the player, adding: "Will it stop people drinking Tiger Beer? No. Will it stop people buying Coca Cola? No. Will it stop parents buying Nike for their children? No."
A spokesman for electronic game firm EA Sports, one of Rooney's sponsors, said: "This is a personal matter, and we respect Wayne and his family's privacy. We have worked together for six years and Wayne continues to represent EA Sports. We will be making no further comment at this time."
Ashley Cole's new bachelor pad has been burgled while the footballer was away with the England team.
Detectives are waiting to talk to the Chelsea defender to find out what was stolen from the flat in Esher, Surrey.
The 29-year-old had been preparing with the England squad for Tuesday's Switzerland game when thieves raided the property on Saturday afternoon.
The break-in came just a day after Cole's "quickie divorce" from X Factor judge Cheryl.
A Surrey police spokesman said: "We can confirm that Surrey police is investigating a break-in at a property in Portsmouth Road, Esher, on Saturday afternoon. No-one was injured and inquiries are continuing."
In February burglars fled empty-handed after trying to break into the £4.5 million Surrey mansion he shared with his ex-wife.
The pop star filed for divorce on the grounds of Cole's unreasonable behaviour in the wake of public allegations about the England and Chelsea defender's infidelity.
A Church of England vicar has been jailed for four years for his part in Britain's biggest sham marriage fraud to help hundreds of illegal immigrants stay in Britain.
The Reverend Alex Brown, 61, abused his position to marry hundreds of desperate African men to hard-up Eastern European women at his small parish church.
Over a four-year period, the "massive and cynical scam" involved women being paid up to £3,000 to wed to help illegal immigrants gain permanent residency in Britain.
He presided over 383 marriages at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, between July 2005 and July 2009, a 30-fold rise in marriages held over the previous four years.
He was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday after being found guilty at Lewes Crown Court in July of conspiring to facilitate the commission of breaches of immigration laws, alongside solicitor Michael Adelasoye, 50, and "recruiter" Vladymyr Buchak, 33.
Earnings for the church rocketed from £1,000 before the hundreds of marriages occurred, to around £22,000 for the first six months of 2009.
One bride told how she had to hand back her borrowed wedding dress hours after she had gone through with a ceremony, while one husband-to-be went under the name "Felix Spaceman".
A large proportion of the Africans who went through with the sham marriages had arrived lawfully in the UK, either through the asylum process or by gaining a student visa.
Investigators said it was when they had "reached the end of the line" in their legal applications and appeals to stay in the UK permanently that they went through the sham marriage process.
The gang were caught following an investigation by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) after caseworkers noticed a surge in immigration applications involving people who had married at the church.
A violent criminal whom British authorities tried to deport to Iraq has gone on the run after being granted bail by an immigration judge, it has emerged.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) "strongly opposed" bail being given to Kawa ali Azad, 34, who his ex-partner has said has threatened to kill her.
Azad, an Iraqi Kurd, breached the bail terms of his release by failing to appear at a police station to have an electronic tag fitted and then breached a restraining order by threatening his ex-partner, the Daily Mail reported.
Tania Doherty and their son are now living in fear and have been given a new identity as Azad remains on the run more than five months after being bailed from Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow.
Miss Doherty, whose new identity cannot be revealed, told the Daily Mail: "I just cannot believe he was released. I am disgusted. Human rights are a joke as far as I'm concerned."
She told how Azad was jailed for attacking her on Eastbourne beach in East Sussex after she ended their relationship.
In a statement, the UKBA said: "The UK Border Agency removed Mr Azad in October 2009 after he was convicted of dangerous driving and violence, but the Iraqi authorities refused to accept him.
"Since then we have revised our arrangements for return to Iraq, which have enabled us to remove Iraqi citizens with no right to stay in the UK, to Baghdad.
"Following his return to the UK, Mr Azad was released on bail by an immigration judge. This was strongly opposed by the UK Border Agency."
Sussex Police confirmed they were looking to arrest Azad on suspicion of breaching a restraining order issued at Hove Crown Court under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Five young men have suffered multiple stab wounds in an apparent knife fight.
The men - all believed to be in their late teens and early 20s - were found in the early hours of Monday near the O2 Arena, in Greenwich, south-east London.
Their conditions were not believed to life-threatening, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
Police are yet to make any arrests in connection with the attacks.
Officers were initially told of one man being stabbed near North Greenwich bus station at 2am, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
He added: "Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and on arrival found the victim, aged late teens/early 20s, suffering stab wounds.
"Four other victims, all male, aged late teens/early 20s, were also suffering stab wounds.
"Three were taken to an east London hospital, the other two to a south London hospital.
"Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing. There have been no arrests at this time."
Home Secretary Theresa May will be forced to answer MPs' questions over newspaper phone-hacking allegations as David Cameron's communications chief offered to meet police to discuss the case.
Amid mounting pressure for an official Government statement, Commons Speaker John Bercow approved an urgent question from Labour former minister Tom Watson.
It came after Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World (NotW), told police he would be happy to meet them voluntarily to discuss the allegations.
Fresh attention has been focused on the case after a former NotW journalist Sean Hoare claimed Mr Coulson knew of eavesdropping tactics used at the newspaper during his time in charge.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister retained full confidence in Mr Coulson, who has consistently denied the claims, and that the new allegations made no difference to his position.
A spokesman for Mr Coulson said he had not been contacted by the police but was "happy to voluntarily meet with them following allegations made by Sean Hoare".
"Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare's claims," he added.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said he would be prepared to investigate Mr Hoare's allegations, which first surfaced in the New York Times.
Labour MPs and ex-deputy prime minister Lord Prescott have called for a fresh inquiry, and Lord Prescott is also seeking clarification from the Met over whether his phone was tapped.
A former boarding school head convicted of abusing boy pupils during the 1970s and 1980s has been handed a 21-year jail term.
Derek Slade, 61, of Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had been convicted of more than 50 offences.
A jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting and beating 12 boys aged between eight and 13 between 1978 and 1983 following at trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
Jurors heard that Slade ran St George's private school, which was initially based in Wicklewood, Norfolk, then moved to Great Finborough, Suffolk, in 1980.
Prosecutors said Slade hit boys with a slipper, a table tennis bat and his bare hand then ordered youngsters to write about "whackings I have had".
Slade was arrested after former pupils complained two years ago. One victim said he had never told his parents what had happened, while another described Slade's assaults as "reigns of terror".
He had admitted assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences. He denied other allegations of assault and indecent assault, but was found guilty.
Slade admitted being a paedophile and told jurors that there was a sexual motive behind the corporal punishment he inflicted.
But he denied more serious sexual assaults, including prosecution allegations that he hosted "midnight feasts" where boys would be abused.
A principal has hit out after 400 children were sent home because of a security alert at a school in Northern Ireland.
Army explosives experts were called to St Comgall's Primary School in Antrim when one of the pupils, an eight-year-old boy, carried a suspected pipe bomb into the classroom.
Police later confirmed they were treating the object as suspicious.
The children were immediately evacuated to a nearby church hall and then sent home.
Headteacher Hilary Cush said he was outraged.
He said: "It's absolutely crazy. It's unbelievable that innocent children should be caught up in something like this."
Officers investigating the death of British code-breaker Gareth Williams, whose decomposing body was found padlocked inside a holdall in his bath, have released CCTV footage of him as they appealed for the public's help.
Scotland Yard want to identify a man and a woman, both of Mediterranean appearance, who were let into the communal entrance of his flat in Pimlico, central London, late one evening in June or July.
A police spokesman added that no drugs, or indications of drug usage were recovered from the property.
Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline Sebire, who is leading the inquiry for the force's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "I would appeal to anyone who may have seen, or had contact with Gareth in the period between 11th and 23rd August to come forward and speak with us at the Incident Room on 020 8358 0200, or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
"This remains a complex unexplained death inquiry."
Police said post-mortem examinations found "no obvious cause of death" and initial indications from toxicology tests showed no trace of any alcohol or routine or recreational drugs. Testing for any other substance continues.
A force spokesman added there was no sign of any forced entry to his flat, no signs of disturbance inside and no property was believed to be missing.
"There is no suggestion the items within the flat were specifically posed," he said.
Officers want to trace two people, aged 20-30, who were let in to Mr Williams' block of flats in Alderney Street, Pimlico, late one evening in June or July.
As part of their appeal, Scotland Yard released CCTV images of the 30-year-old entering Holland Park Underground station at about 3pm on August 14.
A boy has found a pipe bomb lying in his primary school playground in Northern Ireland.
Brendan Shannon, eight, then walked into St Comgall's Primary in Antrim and handed it over to one of the teachers.
Explosives experts were called in after the school's 400 pupils were told to stay away from the building.
Brendan's mother Siobhan Shannon, a nurse, said later: "The people who left that device probably have kids of their own. Have they no conscience?"
The boy and his twin sister, Ciara, had arrived early on their bicycles to help deliver milk to classrooms when he noticed the device lying on top of a painted line close to the playground wall.
He said: "I didn't know what it was. It was like a pipe with a screw and some wires were hanging out of it. Somebody told me afterwards it was a pipe bomb."
Brendan gave the device to one of the teachers, Marie Hannigan. Around the same there was a telephone warning of another device at a second primary school in the town, St Joseph's.
The St Comgall's pupils were first taken to a nearby church hall before being sent home. Police said the people responsible for the alerts were cowardly criminals.
School principal Hilary Cush said he was outraged.
He said: "It's absolutely crazy. It's unbelievable that innocent children should be caught up in something like this."
