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Lifeboat rescue 'wheelie bin man'

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Image An 81-year-old man had to be rescued by lifeboat after he went out to sea on a dinghy to recover a wheelie bin. The pensioner, who lives on the foreshore at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, North Wales, had spotted his neighbour's wheelie bin being swept out to sea as winds and high tides hit the coastline. He jumped in a rubber dinghy and rowed out to sea, securing the bin to the boat with a rope line. But then strong winds took hold and the dinghy was being blown out and drifting a mile off shore before the Coastguard was alerted around 12.30am on Friday. A lifeboat crew was scrambled from Moelfre on the island to rescue the "Good Samaritan" - along with the neighbour's wheelie bin. He was picked up suffering from mild hypothermia and treated by an ambulance called to the shore. He was not wearing a life jacket or waterproof clothing. His dinghy was also half full of water because of the sea conditions. The Moelfre crew then went back out to tow in the dingy and wheelie bin, which was still half full of rubbish. Dave Massey, the Moelfre lifeboat station spokesman, said: "Everyone at the Moelfre lifeboat station wishes the gentleman a speedy recovery. "The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin."

Deaths spark murder investigation

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Image Police launched a murder investigation after a 48-year-old man and a teenage girl died after being found with serious injuries in a house. Officers were called to Sible Hedingham, Essex, at about 10am on saturday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the girl died in hospital. A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Police attended a house and found two people with serious injuries. The ambulance service and Essex Police attended and gave emergency medical assistance to a 48-year-old man and a 16-year-old young woman at the address. "The 48-year-old man died at the scene. The young woman was airlifted to hospital where she later died from her injuries."

Rooney misses trip to former club

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Image Striker Wayne Rooney was conspicuous by his absence as his current Manchester United side prepared to take on former club Everton at Goodison Park. The England international, who has had to cope with revelations about his private life all week, was not on the team coach when it arrived at the ground an hour and 15 minutes before kick-off and his name did not appear on the team sheet. Rooney was reportedly at the team's hotel in Manchester on Friday night and there was a suggestion he may have travelled independently but Sir Alex Ferguson's selection dispelled that theory. The couple have faced a week of torrid speculation and newspaper headlines after claims the Manchester United striker visited a £1,200-a-night prostitute while his wife was pregnant. In a statement, the couple said: "It is impossible for us, as it would be for any family, to attempt to resolve any issues in the current media glare and against the backdrop of so many inaccurate and intrusive stories. We would therefore ask that the media now respects our privacy and the right of our family to discuss these matters in private." The issuing of a joint statement suggests the pair are going to try to patch up their marriage. The England striker returned to the property in the early hours of Wednesday to find his wife Coleen had left with their 10-month-old son Kai. It is believed Rooney has not seen his wife or son since returning from England's 3-1 victory over Switzerland in Basel on Tuesday night. The Wag and columnist has been staying at her parents' home in Huyton, Merseyside, while she mulls over her future. The mother-of-one had to face claims from Jennifer Thompson, 21, that she regularly slept with Rooney while Coleen was pregnant. Since leaving Everton for £25 million in 2004 Rooney has been given a hostile reception when returning to Goodison. Everton defender Phil Jagielka said that will definitely not change if he plays today - with fans expected to debut a host of new chants that have been doing the rounds in Liverpool.

Abuse victims urge action from Pope

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Image Survivors of abuse by Catholic priests have appealed to the Pope to listen to their call for "action not words". A statutory inquiry into sexual abuse by clergy in the UK, pastoral care and funding to support victims are among the steps that should be taken to address paedophile crime within the Church, according to campaigners. Speaking at a conference in Islington, north London, ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to England and Scotland next week, Dr Margaret Kennedy - who founded Minister And Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS) - highlighted the fact the head of the Roman Catholic Church would travel with the "accolade and dignity" given to a head of state. "Sadly we are not afforded the same respect or dignity or status," she said. "Many survivors have to almost live in fear, shame, guilt because when they report they are made to feel like pariahs, disloyal, aggressive, money grabbing, false allegations and so on. The labels are extensive for survivors of clergy abuse." She said survivors were writing accounts of their own experiences of abuse and messages to the Pope in a book she hoped to present during his visit. However, three attempts to arrange for MACSAS to meet the Pope to hand it over had been rejected. But the group will still attempt to brave the crowds expected for the Pope's public appearances to give the book to him, she added. She said: "We are going to try and say to the Pope that we are speaking, please listen. "That is the title of the conference - 'We are speaking, please listen'. "The sub-title of this conference is 'action not words'. "We don't want words any more from the Vatican, we want action. The actions have not happened - concrete, discernible decisions about who is going to care for survivors of clergy abuse. "What are they going to do to repair our lives?"

Bells toll to mark 9/11 anniversary

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Image Bells have tolled throughout New York City and mourners observed a moment of silence to mark the time terrorists began their attack on the US nine years ago. Politics threatened to overshadow the day of mourning for nearly 3,000 September 11 victims amid a polarising national debate over a mosque planned blocks from the World Trade Centre site. The first plane hijacked by Islamic extremists hit the centre's north tower at 8:46am in 2001. Within hours, both towers were rubble and thousands were dead there, at the Pentagon and at a crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Thousands of protesters for and against the planned Islamic centre are expected to hold rival demonstrations after the typically sombre anniversary ceremony. Bagpipes and drums played to open the ceremony, followed by brief comments by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Once again we meet to commemorate the day we have come to call 9/11. We have returned to this sacred site to join our hearts together, the names of those we loved and lost," Mr Bloomberg said. "No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply. No other place is as filled with our compassion, our love and our solidarity." A moment of silence began at 8:46am (1346 BST), the time the first hijacked jetliner hit the north tower of the World Trade Centre in 2001. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were attending separate services at the Pentagon in Washington and a rural field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. While the President was at the Pentagon service and the first lady was to join former first lady Laura Bush at Shanksville, Vice President Joe Biden planned to speak at the New York ceremony, where 2,752 people were killed when two jetliners flew into the World Trade Centre.

Tax chief apologises over tax error

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Image The country's top tax official has been forced into an apology to 1.4 million people facing surprise bills amid claims he was "out of touch with reality". Dave Hartnett, permanent secretary at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), said he was "deeply sorry" that some taxpayers were being asked to pay back an average £1,428 His statement was issued after he caused fury by insisting the authorities were not to blame and declaring: "I'm not sure I see a need to apologise." One Tory MP accused him of "arrogance" and said HMRC had been warned for years that outdated systems meant such a situation was inevitable. And as the furore over his comments increased, HMRC rushed out an apologetic statement from the senior civil servant. "I am deeply sorry that people are facing an unexpected tax bill," Mr Hartnett said. "Everyone in HMRC is working hard to make this as painless as possible. I apologise if my remarks came across as insensitive I am working flat out with my colleagues to ensure everyone's tax is correct and the new computer system will help us do this. "It was this new system that revealed the extent and size of reconciliations required and will help us be more accurate in future but we do not underestimate the distress caused to taxpayers and once again I apologise." It emerged this week that an estimated 2.3 million people underpaid income tax during the past two tax years due to errors in their Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax code. The 900,000 owing the least have been reprieved after the Government wrote off some of the debt but ministers said the Government could not afford not to collect the rest. Most people will have between one and three years to repay the money through their pay packets, but those with £2,000-plus bills face having to find the cash within three months. The wrong tax may have been paid if workers or employers failed to notify HMRC of a change of circumstances or the tax authorities did not act on information they were given.

Father and daughter deaths probed

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Image Police launched a murder inquiry into the deaths of a father and daughter after they were found with serious injuries in a detached house in a quiet village. The pair - named locally as Costas Pierides and Margaret Pierides - were discovered at the property in Sible Hedingham, Essex, at about 10am on Saturday. Mr Pierides was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter died after being airlifted to hospital. Essex Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the inquiry. A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Police attended a house and found two people with serious injuries. "The ambulance service and Essex Police attended and gave emergency medical assistance to a 48-year-old man and a 16-year-old young woman at the address. "The 48-year-old man died at the scene. The young woman was airlifted to hospital where she later died from her injuries." Sources confirmed the pair were father and daughter. Police cordoned off the area surrounding the large detached house at the centre of the inquiry. Traffic was also prevented from using the narrow country lane bordering the property.

Sickness benefits 'face £2.5bn cut'

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Image Chancellor George Osborne is facing renewed controversy over welfare cuts after it emerged he wanted to slash at least £2.5 billion from the budget for long-term sickness benefits. Mr Osborne put that figure on reductions in Employment and Support Allowance payments in a letter sent in June to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the Observer reported. It was seized on by Labour as evidence that the Government planned "vicious cuts on the poorest" as part of its efforts to massively cut public spending to tackle the UK's record deficit. But Mr Duncan Smith's camp insisted no decisions had been taken on where the Treasury axe would fall and that he would not allow any cuts which affected anyone "too poorly to work". Earlier this week, Mr Osborne said another £4 billion would be taken from the "out of control" benefits bill - on top of an £11 billion cut announced in June's emergency Budget. On Monday he is expected to be forced to explain that figure to MPs after some Liberal Democrat backbenchers reacted furiously to the announcement - made in a BBC interview. Fears over the impact of cuts on the most vulnerable are fuelling dissent within the Tory-Lib Dem coalition with just over a month until Mr Osborne reveals the results of his spending review. As ministers struggle to agree ways of slashing spending by around 25% from their budgets, negotiations between the Treasury and Mr Duncan Smith are believed to be among the most difficult. The former party leader is seeking up front investment for reforms aimed at making everyone better off in work than on benefits - which he says will save money in the longer term. Mr Osborne has already signalled publicly that ESA - which replaced Incapacity Benefit - will be one target of his renewed benefits crackdown. DWP sources played down the significance of the letter - part of correspondence dating back to before June's Budget - insisting that while ESA would be reformed no decisions had been taken and that Mr Duncan Smith "absolutely will support anyone who is too poorly to work".

Unite contender in strikes pledge

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Image A contender for the head of Britain's biggest trade union has pledged never to call strikes over Christmas if he is elected. Les Bayliss, who is bidding to be general secretary of Unite, said public sector strikes would only deprive the vulnerable of services they needed and the ones the Tories wanted to cut. Unions would be doing the job of the "bad guys", said Mr Bayliss, adding: "Strikes will also change the victims, our members, into the villains of the piece. The story will get changed from Government savagery to union militancy. The Tories will hit us with even more restrictive laws and working people will look away in disgust." Mr Bayliss said the current dispute between Unite and British Airways was a "perfect example" of the point he was making. "The BA cabin crew had a good case, they were being forced to accept a change in their contracts without agreement by a vicious and greedy employer, and it was unacceptable. But when we announced the 12-day strike over Christmas the public and many of our members were so horrified they immediately lost sympathy for the victims. "If I am general secretary of Unite there will never be any strikes called over the Christmas holidays. Strikes cost a fortune. I think the unions would be better using these massive resources to win hearts and minds. "Unite had considerable success talking to members in marginal constituencies in the run-up to the election about the dangerous policies the Tories were planning to introduce. Many of the seats the Tories were targeting remain in Labour hands because of this work." Mr Bayliss said unions should not repeat the "mistakes" of the 1980s when there were constant battles with the Conservative government. "Unions face a similar challenge to the one that confronted us under the first Thatcher government. Millions of jobs were lost due to a recession caused by government spending cuts. Unions lost millions of members because of the unemployment and it weakened us. "We were provoked into battles against the state we could not win, but still we fought because we were proud fighters and we lead with our chins. Inevitably we were cut down, we were restricted by anti-union laws and worst still for us these laws were supported by working people because we had lost the argument."

Harman 'concerned over Coulson job'

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Image Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has said there was a "great deal of concern" over the appointment of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as Downing Street's communications chief. In a direct attack on David Cameron she said the Prime Minister's decision to appoint Mr Coulson "at the heart of Downing Street" was a reflection on his judgment. Claims that MPs' phones were targeted are set to be investigated by the powerful Commons Standards and Privileges Committee, which Ms Harman said was an indication of the strength of feeling about the issue in the House. Ms Harman told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "Last Thursday, without a vote because nobody opposed it, the House of Commons agreed to refer the question of phone hacking of MPs' phones and intercepting their phones to the Standards and Privileges Committee. "If you saw what was said last Thursday it was Conservatives, Nadine Dorries and Nicholas Soames, it was Lib Dems like Simon Hughes as well as Labour people protesting. "I think the fact that Andy Coulson is director of communications chosen by the Prime Minister is a reflection on David Cameron's judgment." She added: "I think that there is a great deal of concern that at a time when obviously, and the Information Commissioner said this, that interception of phones of MPs was rife, that the Prime Minister chose a Fleet Street editor whose paper was involved in this, to put him at the heart of Downing Street." In 2007, ex-News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for intercepting voicemail messages left for public figures. The row has been reignited after a former reporter claimed Mr Coulson - editor of the Sunday paper at the time - was aware such eavesdropping was happening. Mr Coulson, who resigned as editor in the wake of the court case, has repeatedly denied the allegation and Downing Street insists he retains the Prime Minister's confidence.

'Tough months' before girl's death

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Image Friends of a teenage girl who died after being found in a house with her fatally injured father said she had been "sorting her life out" after a "tough few months". Margaret Pierides, 16, died after being airlifted to hospital from the family's £750,000 home in the picturesque village of Sible Hedingham, Essex. Her father, Costas Pierides, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. Post-mortem tests are being carried out but police said they were not looking for anyone in connection with the murder investigation. The teenager's friends spoke of the rocky relationship she had with her father but said they appeared to have "patched things up" recently. She had returned home a "few months ago" after spending time in a youth hostel in nearby Braintree. Kika Willings, 18, who went to the village school with Margaret, said: "When she went back home she was so happy. She was proper sorting her life out. "She seemed to have patched things up. "We were best friends. She was so much fun to be around. She was crazy." Miss Willings's mother Celestine Adams, 45, described Margaret as a "wild card".

Welfare budget cuts 'will be fair'

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Image All cuts to the welfare budget will be "fair", Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander has said amid Labour claims the Government planned a "vicious" attack on the poorest. Mr Alexander defended plans to find "significant savings" from benefits after a leaked letter revealed proposals to slash at least £2.5 billion from sickness payments. Mr Osborne put that figure on reductions in Employment and Support Allowance payments in a letter sent in June to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the Observer reported. The pair are locked in some of the hardest negotiations over exactly where the Treasury axe should fall, as Mr Osborne finalises his spending review - to be unveiled on October 20. The former party leader is seeking up front investment for reforms aimed at making everyone better off in work than on benefits - which he says will save money in the longer term. And Mr Duncan Smith's camp strongly insisted last night that he would not allow any cuts which affected anyone "too poorly to work". Mr Alexander would not be drawn on the letter - but said things had "moved on" since it was written before June's emergency budget. "I am not going to comment on a leaked letter but what I will say is that with welfare spending making up nearly £200 billion, of course it is something we have to look at in the context of the spending review," he told Sky News' Sunday Live programme. "Yes of course we are looking for significant savings in the welfare system. Savings that are fair; savings that encourage people to get out to work." He went on: "Things have moved on since June in the sense that Iain Duncan Smith has published an excellent consultation paper looking at much wider and more radical reform."

Soldier who died in hospital named

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Image A British soldier who died in hospital in the UK after being shot in Afghanistan last month has been remembered as a fun-loving soldier with the "heart of a lion". Kingsman Darren Deady, 22, from Bolton, Lancashire, suffered a gunshot wound in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province on August 23. The soldier, from 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (South), died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, on Friday. The number of British losses since the conflict in Afghanistan began in 2001 now stands at 335. Born into a large Lancastrian family, Kingsman Deady joined the Army in October 2008 after leaving school at 16. On the day he was wounded, he and his comrades were protecting a "vital location" when they came under fire, according to the MoD. His friends gave him first aid and he was evacuated to hospital at Camp Bastion before being flown to Birmingham. Kingsman Deady's family, who were at his bedside when he died, thanked medics and others for their support through "these difficult times". "We lost a wonderful son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend; he is going to be missed by all," they said in a statement. "At this moment we are experiencing the hardest times of our life. "Darren was proud to do a job that he loved and most of all believed in, his little brother once turned round to him and asked him: why do you fight? and Darren simply replied; 'To make a difference'."

Ed Miliband: I'm the best candidate

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Image Labour leadership hopeful Ed Miliband claims he has the momentum to win the party's leadership race after a poll put him ahead of his elder brother David. The younger Miliband said he is the only candidate who fully understands the "scale of the change" needed in the party, but he added that his brother is a "massive asset" to Labour. Both brothers took to the airwaves as the leadership race entered its final stages, with shadow foreign secretary David Miliband claiming he is the contender the Tories fear. A survey of Labour members and trade unionists by YouGov for the Sunday Times shows bookies' favourite David Miliband enjoying a narrow lead on first preferences. But the pollster calculated that once lower-ranking candidates were eliminated and their second choices redistributed, the younger of the two brothers would prevail when the final result is announced on September 25. Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said the party is "making a judgment about the best person to beat David Cameron and I think they are turning to me". He told Sky News' Sunday Live programme: "My sense is that it's moving towards me in every section of the electoral college, including the Parliamentary Labour Party, and it does depend on people's second and sometimes third preferences. "I think fundamentally it's about my message and about what I've been saying in this campaign and about the way we need to understand that New Labour was great for its time and we've got to keep some parts of it, about appealing to all sections of the electorate and so on, but we've also got to move on, change, admit some of the things we got wrong and understand the lessons of the last general election." The shadow energy secretary, who portrayed himself as the "candidate for working people in this country", insisted there had been "no secret deal" with the trade unions for their support. The younger Miliband is seen as being to the left of his Blairite brother, but he said there were no difficulties between the pair and they had a "very nice chat" after a recent hustings in Bristol.

Unions warn of action against cuts

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Image Unions have warned of co-ordinated strikes and campaigns of civil disobedience to fight the Government's spending cuts amid revelations that more than 200,000 public sector jobs have already been axed or are at risk of being lost. Councils, health authorities, police forces, Government departments and other public sector bodies across the country have all taken an axe to jobs in recent months after having their budgets slashed. One leader warned that co-ordinated industrial action was "inevitable" as the TUC prepared to draw up a campaign of protests against the Government when its annual congress opens in Manchester on Monday. Delegates will be asked to support joint union industrial action as well as other forms of protest, with a national demonstration being planned for next March which could attract hundreds of thousands of people in the biggest show of public anger in a generation. Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said a campaign of civil disobedience is needed to fight spending cuts. "Maybe we need Batman climbing up 10 Downing street, Spider-Man on Buckingham Palace, as part of peaceful demonstrations of civil disobedience. "This is an opportunity for the entire trade union movement to come together and mobilise support. Unions should also link up together because we are confronting the same enemy otherwise they will be picked off one at a time." He even suggested that people could sit down on roads to highlight their opposition to cuts. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union said industrial action is "inevitable", adding that unless unions work together to fight back, the future was "bleak". "Over 100,000 civil service jobs have been cut over the past six years and we are now being hit by closures and cuts even as the sword of Chancellor George Osborne hangs in the air."

Probe into troop heroin allegations

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Image Military police are investigating claims that British soldiers may have been involved in heroin trafficking in Afghanistan. Officials said they were aware of "unsubstantiated" claims that troops were buying the illegal drug from dealers and using military aircraft to ship it out the country. An inquiry has been launched focusing on British and Canadian service personnel at airports in Camp Bastion and Kandahar. Meanwhile security has been tightened, with additional sniffer dogs being used as part of the crackdown at the bases. Afghanistan is the source of 90% of the world's opium. Some drug bosses in the war-ravaged country have implicated soldiers in the trade. Last year the Sunday Times spoke to one dealer who said members of the military were the second largest buyers of heroin after foreign drug lords. The newspaper was told: "The soldiers whose term of duty is about to finish, they give an order to our boss." The dealer, named only as Aziz, added: "They are carrying these drugs in the military airlines and they can't be reached because they are military. They can take it to the USA or England." A team of detectives from the Ministry of Defence's special investigations branch is believed to be heading the investigation into the claims.

Girl killed in watersports accident

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Image An 11-year-old girl has died after suffering fatal injuries in a boating accident at a watersports club. Marie-Simone Cronje is understood to have fallen off an inflatable craft being towed by a boat which then struck her at the Princes Club, near Feltham, west London, on Saturday. She was taken to West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth where she died, emergency services said. The Princes Club, which was closed for an investigation to be carried out, said in a statement: "Princes Sporting Club and everyone associated with it is devastated by the accident. "At this terrible time our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Marie-Simone Cronje's family and friends. "The accident is being investigated by the police and other authorities and they can rely on our complete co-operation. "At this moment in time, the matter being under investigation, we are not in a position to say anything further." Paramedics and police officers were called to the club in Clockhouse Lane, Bedfont, shortly before 5pm yesterday. The seriously injured girl, from London, was treated by ambulance service staff before being taken to hospital, where she died the same day. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a 22-year-old man was arrested following the death.

Three charged over golf course body

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Image Three men have been charged in connection with the murder of a man whose badly-burnt body was found on a golf course. Stefan Welch, 37, was discovered by golfers as they walked between the 17th and 18th holes at Dyke Golf Club on the outskirts of Brighton just before noon on September 4. He probably died from a blow to the head, a post-mortem examination found. Sean Cirus Iran, 21, of St Richards Road, Portslade, Brighton, has been charged with the murder of Mr Welch. He was also charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice with Babak Iran, 44, and Navid Iran, 23, of the same address. All three will appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Monday, Sussex Police said. Mr Welch, who lived at the Phase One hostel in Oriental Place, Brighton, was known to police and was identified after a DNA sample provided a match on the national database. His family has spoken of their anguish, saying words could not adequately describe their heartbreak at his death.

Hatton 'distraught' at drug claims

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Image Boxing legend Ricky Hatton is said to be "devastated and distraught" after being secretly filmed allegedly snorting cocaine. The former world champion, nicknamed The Hitman for his knock-out punching, is alleged to have used "industrial quantities" of the drug by the News of the World. Hatton, 31, is captured in video footage appearing to use a credit card to cut lines of cocaine before snorting them through a rolled-up bank note. His spokesman Max Clifford said: "I have spoken to Ricky, he is very upset and very subdued, very flat. "He feels he's let everybody that matters down badly, his friends, his family, his fans and of course most of all himself, that he is, in his own words, he's been in a bad place for some time, probably before even his last fight and obviously he's really upset about what has happened but he totally takes responsibility, takes the blame, 'It's all down to me'. "He just wants to let everybody know how he feels, he's got to sort himself out. "I think it is fair to say, friends and family have been trying to warn him in recent times, for the last few months and now they are all hoping this situation will bring him to his senses. "I think obviously everybody is hoping some good will come out of this. He feels devastated and we all hope this will be the wake-up call." The News of the World states the video footage was captured over several hours at a Manchester hotel two weeks ago while Hatton was on a night out with friend Emma Bowe, 29, the Irish national senior women's boxing champion. She told the paper Hatton also binged on drink by sinking 11 pints of Guinness, vodka, wine and sambuca during the night out. "I'm only talking about this because Ricky is a danger to himself. If he carries on like this he'll kill himself," she is quoted saying.

Family tribute to boat tragedy girl

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Image The parents of an 11-year-old girl who died after she fell off a banana water sled and was struck by a speedboat have paid tribute to their "beautiful" daughter. Mari-Simon Cronje was at a children's birthday party when she suffered fatal injuries in the accident in a lake at the Princes sports club near Feltham, west London, on Saturday. A 22-year-old man, understood to be the driver of the motorboat which had been towing the girl, was arrested and later released on bail. In a statement, the Cronje family said: "Our beautiful 11-year-old daughter, Mari-Simon Cronje, was killed in a tragic water sports accident on Saturday afternoon at Princes Club, Bedfont near Feltham. "She was a guest at a children's birthday party. "We are still battling to come to terms with the news. "We would ask the press and public to respect the family's privacy and let us grieve in peace. Thank you."
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