London Shooting: Man Charged With Murder

A man has been charged with the murder of a teenager who was shot in the chest in north London, Scotland Yard has said.

Mohammed Hussein, 19, died in Edmonton on Monday after neighbours heard shouting in the street and then gunfire about an hour later.

Paramedics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Natneal Tefsay, 20, from Bounds Green, north London, is charged with Mr Hussein's murder.

He will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court today.

After the shooting, a witness, who did not want to be named, said: "Earlier in the night a group of guys chased after the victim, who was in a car with a mate, and smashed a window.

"He then came back later and that's when the shooting happened.

"He was with three of his friends and I think they ran off when he was shot."

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Hussein died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Last night police said they had also arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

They are continuing to appeal for information about the shooting, which happened in Bounces Road, Edmonton, at around 9.45pm on Easter Monday.

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Raft Of Tax Reforms Come Into Effect In UK

Two million people could be removed from paying income tax altogether from today as a raft of reforms come into effect.

Among the changes are a rise in the personal allowance which will mean no one pays any tax until they earn more than £9,440.

The threshold for the higher rate of tax - above which people pay tax at 40% - will also drop from £34,370 to £32,010, excluding the personal allowance.

At the same time the top rate of income tax falls in 2013/14 from 50% to 45% for those whose taxable income exceeds £150,000.

And the start of the new financial year also signals a rise in basic state pension to £110.15 per week, an increase of 2.5%.

But there will be a freeze on the level of income pensioners can receive before they have to pay tax - the so-called "granny tax".

The tax allowance for people aged 65 and older is set at £10,500.

Last week, housing benefit was cut for council house tenants with more bedrooms than they need - dubbed the "bedroom tax".

Council tenants have money cut if they have more bedrooms than they need

The annual increase in tax credits and other working-age benefits will also be cut to just 1%, well below the rate of inflation.

But Labour claims UK households will be worse off.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: "The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies shows very clearly that, since 2010, the average family is £890 worse off, a one-earner family where the mum or dad stays at home with children is £3,900 worse off.

"The reason is that the increase in the personal allowance over the last couple of years was completely outweighed by higher VAT, the freeze on child benefit and the cuts to tax credits.

"Is this the day to cut taxes for millionaires, for the richest people in our society when everyone else is worse off and struggling? It's completely the wrong priorities. It suggests that David Cameron and George Osborne are completely out of touch with the realities of the lives of families in our country."

Unite union's General Secretary Len McCluskey was equally scathing about the changes. He said: "Millionaires will be raising a glass of champagne to George Osborne this weekend as he slashes the incomes of people struggling to get by to give handouts to the rich.

"This is not the way to recover our failing economy. Creating real jobs and paying decent wages, including a one pound increase on the minimum wage, will bring down the benefits bill and get people spending again."

The Prime Minister took to Twitter to highlight the increase in the personal tax allowance. He wrote: "From today 24 million people will be paying £600 less income tax than in 2010."

Mr Cameron also included a link to a new Conservative poster outlining the change with the headline "Help for Hardworking People".

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Man Dies Making Documentary About Homeless

Police are investigating the death of a young documentary maker who was sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video the night before his week of sleeping rough began, Mr Halpin said the project was part of an application for a Channel 4 investigative journalism scheme, to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the effect of changes to Britain's welfare system this month.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of this aspiring young journalist. Our thoughts are with his family."

Mr Halpin's friend of 10 years, Daniel Lake, said: "I was just talking to Lee on Saturday, having some banter talking about football and how excited he was about going out filming.

"Lee was a great guy, a character and was well known. His big things were creative writing and poetry ... He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

Friends and supporters have left tributes on the Save Newcastle Libraries website, to which he was a contributor.

One said: "He was a credit to the North East and all he did was give."

Northumbria Police have arrested two men in connection with the death.

The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

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Grand National: Hopes For A Positive Story

On the one day the world tunes in to jump racing, the sport itself is holding its breath.

Worldwide, 600 million people watch the Grand National on the year's biggest day for betting in Britain. But all at Aintree know any further equine deaths this afternoon, to add to four in the last two Nationals, would raise serious questions about its future.

It comes after a horse died in the run up to this year's event on Friday.

They have made changes here.

Most fences now have more horse-friendly plastic inner cores.

The start has been moved 90 yards away from the noisy grandstands, in the hope of a calmer atmosphere. That also means a shorter run to the first fence, giving less time to build up foolhardy early speed.

The authorities have talked to senior jockeys, urging them not to set a breakneck pace from the start.

But as even Jamie Stier from the British Horseracing Authority acknowledged on Sky News on Friday, it is unreasonable to expect a jockey not to be wound-up at the start of "this iconic race".

It always delivers a storyline, even if last year's – the closest-ever finish – was partly buried by headlines about fatalities.

This year's story could be the first female winning jockey. Katie Walsh on Seabass – third 12 months ago – could start favourite on the horse trained by her father Ted.

So could Ted's other horse Colbert Station, in the hands of champion jockey Tony McCoy. And so could Katie's brother Ruby on On His Own, bidding for his third National victory.

And if the siblings should be fighting out the finish, it'll be dog-eat-dog with no quarter given.

There's also another possible line for the fairer sex. Much-fancied Teaforthree is trained by Rebecca Curtis, 30 years after the first success for Jenny Pitman – the only other woman to train the winner of the world's greatest steeplechase.

Teaforthree likes his own bed and is travelling today from Pembrokeshire. There hasn't been a Welsh winner since 1905.

Then again, it's only four years since Mon Mome won at 100-1. Might Tarquinius, for example, or Major Malarkey, triumph at a similar price today? Stranger things have happened – and something strange always does happen.

That's why we always watch, and that's why all will hope that all 40 horses are safely in their beds – in Wales or wherever – tonight.

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House Fire: Two Teens Die, Boy In Hospital

Two teenagers have died, and a child remains in hospital, following a house fire in Devon.

Police said the 17-year-old female and 18-year-old man died from their injuries sustained in the blaze at a property in Lee Close in Honiton.

A three-year-old boy remains in the specialist Frenchay Hospital in Bristol in a serious condition.

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the deaths.

A spokesman said: "Next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with family at this time and the investigation to establish the cause of the fire is ongoing. At this time the police are not treating the matter as suspicious."

Emergency services were alerted to the fire at around 7.50am on Friday morning.

A total of eight people were in the house when the fire broke out - seven members of a family and another person.

Five people were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, including a six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s who were treated for smoke inhalation.

Three - the two teenagers and three-year-old - suffered serious injuries and were flown by air ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

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Osborne In Disabled Parking Space Storm

George Osborne is facing more criticism over welfare reforms after he was photographed getting into a car parked in a disabled space.

The picture shows the Chancellor being picked up by his official car in a restricted bay, after he stopped for lunch at the Magor services on the M4 in Monmouthshire.

Senior Conservative sources said he had been to buy food from McDonald's and was not aware the Land Rover had been illegally parked.

"George does not condone this in any way," one source said.

Richard Hawkes, chief executive of disability charity Scope, told the Daily Mirror the picture revealed "how wildly out of touch the Chancellor is with disabled people in the UK".

"They will see this as rubbing salt in their wounds," he said.

"Many are already struggling to make ends meet, yet the Chancellor's response has been to cut vital financial support and squeeze local care budgets."

The photo, taken on Wednesday at the services near Newport, emerged after the Chancellor linked the case of child killer Mick Philpott to the coalition's benefits shake-up.

Mick Philpott received a life sentence for the manslaughter of his children

Mr Osborne will hope the episode does not prove damaging for him, amid claims that welfare reforms - including housing benefit cuts for people with spare rooms - will hit the disabled.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls had earlier accused the Chancellor of "nasty and divisive" tactics for his comments about the Philpott case.

Mr Osborne had said: "... I think there is a question for government and for society about the welfare state, and the taxpayers who pay for the welfare state, subsidising lifestyles like (Philpott's). And I think that debate needs to be had."

Philpott, who was jailed for life for killing six of his children in a fire, lived in a council house in Derby, claimed thousands of pounds in benefit and refused to get a job.

The latest storm surrounding the Chancellor follows the row he was embroiled in last year over whether he had tried to travel first class using a standard ticket.

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Five Arrested In Triple Murder Inquiry

Police are linking the suspected murders of two men found at the side of a country road with that of a man found stabbed to death in a ditch last weekend.

The pair were discovered by a member of the public close to the Cambridgeshire village of Thorney on Wednesday morning.

They have been named as John Chapman, 56, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, both from Peterborough.

The other two bodies were found by a member of the public at Thorney Dyke

The men were found four days after Kevin Lee, 48, was discovered with stab wounds in a ditch six miles away by the A16 at Newborough, north of Peterborough.

Mr Lee was last seen at 2pm on Good Friday and reported missing at 10.40pm after his Ford Mondeo was found burnt out near a farm in Yaxley, south of Peterborough, that night. His body was found on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police said the men found on Wednesday were in their 30s and 50s and that their deaths were being treated as murder.

Officers have arrested a 36-year-old man who has since been charged with perverting the course of justice, and a 47-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman are also in custody after being arrested in Hereford.

Meanwhile a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man who were arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Lee have now been released on bail.

In a statement to the public posted on YouTube, Detective Superintendent Jeff Hill said: "This inquiry is a priority for the force and we have a large team of detectives working on it.

"There will also be extra police officers out on patrol in the areas where the bodies were discovered. These events are naturally very concerning and local people are understandably shocked by what has happened.

The body of Mr Lee was found near Newborough, six miles from Thorney

"However, the deaths are being linked and treated as part of the same isolated incident over the Easter weekend.

"I would like to stress there is no on-going risk to the public."

A statement released by Mr Lee's family said: "We are devastated by Kevin's death. He was a wonderful husband, father, loving brother and son.

"His naturally infectious personality touched everyone who knew him. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family. We are struggling to come to terms with our tragic loss and we ask that we are left alone to grieve in private."

Cambridgeshire police investigating Mr Lee's death have confirmed they are liaising with West Mercia detectives investigating the attempted murder of two people found with stab wounds in Hereford on Tuesday.

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Leeds Children's Heart Surgery Unit To Reopen

Children's heart surgery is to resume at Leeds General Infirmary.

Operations were suspended because of claims that the unit had a death rate double the average.

After the closure, Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of NHS England, said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.

Sir Bruce Keogh said the priority must be the safety of children

"It is absolutely right not to take any risks while these matters are being looked into. The priority must be the safety of children."

However, medical bodies and doctors questioned the accuracy of the data, which they say was unverified and not fit to base such a decision on.

Maggie Boyle, chief executive of the trust, said: "I am extremely confident that this service is safe and effective and should recommence at the earliest opportunity.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he supported the decision to restart children's heart surgery at the infirmary, though he added it should be "safe and sustainable".

A Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement: "The key consideration must always be patient safety. We support NHS England and the Trust in their decision to suspend surgery last week on the basis that there were serious concerns that needed to be investigated.

"If the Trust and the regulators are content that these concerns can now be explained or addressed then we would support a joint decision to resume surgery."

Parents had criticised the timing of the unit's suspension, which came 24 hours after a High Court judge ruled that a decision to close it as part of a reorganisation of services was "legally flawed".

But they also expressed relief that the unit was to reopen.

Jon Arnold's daughter Zoe had life-saving surgery at the unit when she was three weeks old.

He said: "There's been massive support from the parents and families for the unit, and this decision confirms what we thought about the quality of care all along.

"My daughter had fantastic care at the unit.

"It was difficult to understand as a parent how they could have shut the ward so swiftly on the basis of unverified data. It left parents feeling very confused about what to believe and what was best for their child."

But Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children's Heart Federation, said it was right to suspend surgery until doubts about safety could be addressed.

"There are a lot of families that are very worried there about what is going to happen with their children," she said.

She added that people were frightened about raising concerns about hospitals in the area while their children were still receiving care as they feared repercussions from the Trust and on social media.

"Once the unit is reopened then a lot of the families will have a lot of questions that need to be answered about the manner in which it closed," she said.

"The main thing is that babies and families that need urgent treatment can now get it on the unit without having to be shipped across the country to any available bed space."

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Petrol Sales Crash As Consumers Choose Diesel

Petrol sales have plummeted in the last five years, according to official figures, with retailers dispensing 5.4 billion fewer litres than five years ago.

In 2007, filling stations sold a total of 22.87 billion litres of petrol, the AA motoring group said.

But the latest Government figures revealed that last year, retailers dispensed 17.43 billion litres of petrol - a fall of almost 24%.

The combined sales of both petrol and diesel also fell over the period - by 9.3% to 34.16 billion litres in 2012.

The AA said that the total decrease was equivalent to 35 days of fuel sales being lost since the start of the credit crunch.

But diesel sales increased slightly over the last five years, in part due to companies buying the fuel directly from forecourts instead of storing it in depots, the AA said.

Sales of diesel rose from 14.8 billion litres in 2007 to 16.73 billion litres last year.

The organisation's president Edmund King said the increasing popularity of diesel cars and smaller vehicles had contributed to the overall decline in fuel sales.

Car registrations rise by 5.9%, with Vauxhall's Astra among the top sellers

"However, soaring pump prices have taken a huge toll on petrol sales more recently - during the 10p-a-litre price surges last March and October, pump sales of petrol fell by up to 5%," he added.

"The trouble is that, with global economic recovery, the stock market will predict greater oil and fuel demand and push up commodity values accordingly."

The AA said non-supermarket fuel retailers had been hardest hit by the sales slip, with petrol sales down 7.7% last year compared with 2011. Supermarkets saw a 0.6% decrease over the same period.

The RAC Foundation's director Professor Stephen Glaister warned that the UK's infrastructure could not cope with an increase in diesel's popularity.

"Our ageing refineries are not geared up to cope with growing demand for diesel and you can't just flick a switch to produce more," he said.

"Already we are a net importer of diesel and, if sales of diesel-powered cars continue to surge, our reliance on foreign imports will grow, especially if the economy recovers and mileage increases."

It comes as industry statistics revealed that new car registrations rose by 5.9% in March - the thirteenth consecutive month of growth.

Volumes were their highest since 2010 when the vehicle scrappage scheme was in place, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Over 394,806 cars were registered in March, with sales of the mini and SUV vehicle types growing especially strongly.

The figures take registrations over the first quarter of the year to 605,198 units - an increase of 7.4%.

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HMV Rescue Saves 141 Stores And 2,500 Jobs

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

HMV's future as a high street retailer has been salvaged in a £50m deal that secures 2,500 jobs on Britain's beleaguered high streets.

Hilco, a restructuring firm, confirmed on Friday morning that it had struck an agreement with Deloitte, the administrator to HMV, to rescue the retailer.

The deal, which was revealed exclusively by Sky News on Thursday night, will keep 141 shops open, including 25 which had already been earmarked for closure by Deloitte. All nine of the Fopp-branded shops are included in the transaction.

While that represents little more than half of HMV's UK stores that were open before it called in administrators in January, it represents a more optimistic outcome for the chain than many analysts had predicted.

Hilco acquired HMV's Canadian operations two years ago, since when the performance of the business has surpassed expectations.

Paul McGowan, Hilco chief executive, said the deal had the backing of key HMV suppliers and landlords.

He said: "We hope to replicate some of the success we have had in the Canadian market with the HMV Canada business which we acquired almost two years ago and which is now trading strongly.

"The structural differences in the markets and the higher level of competition in the UK will prove additional challenges for the UK business but we believe it has a successful future ahead of it."

Mr McGowan will become chairman of HMV, with two other Hilco executives taking key roles with the retailer.

HMV had been weighed down by a mountain of debt, allied to a combination of waning consumer confidence and intense pressure from supermarkets encroaching on its entertainment retailing turf, as well as the rapid rise of low-cost digital rivals.

Hilco said it would abandon a recently-introduced practice of selling tablets and other digital devices, using the space instead for an expanded music and visual entertainment range.

Ian Topping, one of the Hilco executives who will be involved in running HMV, said: "The reaction of the British public to the administration of HMV shows a strong desire for the business to continue to trade and we hope to play a constructive part in delivering that."

Hilco also confirmed that it would seek to re-establish a presence for HMV in Ireland.

Nick Edwards, joint administrator at Deloitte, said the deal "provides a solid financial footing on which the business can be taken forward".

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Stockton House Fire: Investigation As Two Die

An elderly couple have been killed in a house fire in Carlton near Stockton-on-Tees, emergency workers have said.

The man and woman, understood to be 90 and 88-years-old respectively, died when the fire ripped through a property on Thorpe Road. The road was closed off and an investigation is under way.

The woman is said to have been bed-bound but the man, who virtually acted as her carer, was quite active. They were well-known in the village and the man often seen by locals on his bicycle.

The house faces The Smiths Arms pub. A worker there, who declined to be named, said: "I did video it.

"It was something big, there were lots of units here. It is right opposite the pub.

"It was about 5am, just before dawn."

Cleveland Fire Brigade said: "It was a severe fire in which there were two fatalities.

"Five appliances attended, from Stockton, Thornaby and Middlesbrough Stations.

"Crews left the scene at approximately 8.45am. There will now be a joint investigation between the fire brigade and police."

Cleveland Police said the the fire was reported to them at 5.05am and their investigation was in its very early stages.

At the moment officers do not believe the fire was started under suspicious circumstances.

Pensioner Joan Richardson, who lives near the property, said the community would pull together.

She said: "Everybody is quite shocked.

"You don't expect this in a small rural village. It is a very friendly village, everybody speaks to everybody, it is a good community.

"Everbody will pull together whatever the circumstances.

"People are very caring, it's a very good young community, there is a good cross section.

"I am amazed I didn't hear it it."

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Hate Crime: Goths, Punks And Emos Recognised

Emo, Goth And Punk Explained

Updated: 1:15pm UK, Thursday 04 April 2013

A look at what defines goths, emos and punks as Greater Manchester Police becomes the first force in the country to officially recognise hate crimes against such sub-cultures.

GMP says it recognises alternative sub-culture as a broad term to define a strong sense of collective identity and a set of group-specific values and tastes. This typically centres on distinctive style, clothing, make up, body art and music preference. Those involved usually stand out to both fellow participants and to those outside the group.

According to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, cultures such as goths, emos, and punks are largely peaceful by definition, and are more interested in music, alternative fashion and niche media than intimidation.

:: EMO

Described as the "new goth" when it started to become a trend in the early 2000s, emo is a youth movement based around dark music, dark clothing and a sometimes darker view of the world. Emos are typically perceived to be angsty or depressed but this is not always the case, according to the Emo Rawr website, which says: "Emo is a meshing of the punk and goth cultures with a twist, gathering its music influences more from the punk side of things and the fashion style more from the gothic side of things."

Emo fashion is characterised by skinny jeans, tight t-shirts, studded belts, canvas sneakers, thick glasses and dark zip-hoodies. They wear less black than goths and often have a long fringe.

Emo music, described as "punk with emotion", has been made popular by bands such as My Chemical Romance, whose album The Black Parade topped the charts, Bullet for My Valentine and Jimmy Eat World.

:: GOTH

Many stereotypes exist of dark, depressed and even evil teenagers who are all about death, pretension and angst. They typically always wear black clothing, or white but never other colours, and have dyed black hair, black nails, white face make-up and black lipstick and eyeliner.

However, Goth.net says: "There is no specific thing that defines what you need to do or be to fit into the goth scene (except, of course, the implied black clothing).

"People in the goth scene all have different musical tastes, follow different religions, have different occupations, hobbies, and fashion sense."

The modern goth movement started in the early 1980s as part of the punk subculture.

:: PUNK

Punk evolved from the 1970s music phenomenon. The sub-culture is made up of those considered to have rejected things considered part of society's 'norms' and those thought to often hold anarchist political views.

The look is characterised by piercings, tattoos, Dr Marten boots and multi-coloured Mohawks.

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William And Kate On Two-Day Trip To Scotland

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited the site of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as part of a two-day visit to Scotland.

The Duchess wore a tartan coat as she arrived in the city.

The couple visited the Emirates Arena, site of the next year's Games, including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, watching riders in a practice session.

Later, Prince William will make a Skype video web call to two homeless Scottish people in the Netherlands.

The couple look at 2014 Commonwealth Games mascot Clyde

William will chat on-line to Dylan Howie and Lyn Buchan who are taking part in an exchange programme run by the Glasgow-based project for rough sleepers.

"It's just amazing that I will get a chance to speak to the Duke of Cambridge. It's brilliant, I'm very excited," said Mr Howie, who first stayed at the Stopover project in 2011 when he was just 16.

"The past year has been really tough for me - but since coming to Quarriers' Stopover my life has been turned around."

The homeless pair from Glasgow are on a work experience placement in the Dutch town of Papendrecht as part of the charity's initiative run with Dutch partner Werkcenter.

The Duke has long had a keen interest in tackling homelessness and is patron of Centrepoint, a charity that has been providing support and care for rough sleepers for decades.

At the Donald Dewar Leisure Centre in Drumchapel the couple will launch a new Scottish pilot project for their foundation, which aims to inspire and train the next generation of young sports coaches.

Kate is pregnant with the couple's first child

The two-day trip by William and Kate, who is now nearly six months pregnant, will see also see them visit Dumfries House, where they will team up with Prince Charles, and BAE systems in Barrow-in-Furness.

When in Scotland William and Kate are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn, titles given to them by the Queen to mark their marriage.

North of the border Prince Charles is also known under a different title: the Duke of Rothesay.

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Fire Deaths: Philpotts And Friend Jailed

Mick Philpott has been described in court as "the driving force" behind a fire that killed six of his children, as he was sentenced to life in prison.

He was told by the trial judge at Nottingham Crown Court that he must serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the deaths.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall also said he was a "disturbingly dangerous man" with "no moral compass", adding: "Your guiding principle is what Mick Philpott wants, Mick Philpott gets."

The 56-year-old defendant looked down at the floor, wiping tears from his eyes, as the judge handed down the term.

His wife Mairead, 32, and their friend Paul Mosley, 46, were each sentenced to 17 years in prison and were told they would serve half of that.

Mairead Philpott wept as she was jailed over her children's deaths, while Mosley showed no reaction.

After sentencing, family members in the public gallery applauded. One shouted: "Die, Mick, die", while another said: "See you, Mairead. Hope you enjoy life on your own". A third person called out: "Your own babies".

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

In response, Mick Philpott smiled and made an obscene hand gesture as he was led from the dock.

The trio were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter - one for each of the victims - on Tuesday.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall told them they were all responsible for the deaths and she had "not the slightest doubt" that Mick Philpott was "the driving force" behind the plot.

He shook his head as the judge outlined his previous violent relationships, including when he stabbed a former girlfriend 13 times.

She said he used that attempted murder conviction as a way of controlling other women.

Philpott treated women as his "chattels", the judge told him, adding: "You barked orders and they would obey. You were the kingpin, No-one else mattered."

The blackened bathroom of the Philpott's house after the fire. (Pic: CPS)

Dawn Bestwick, Philpott's sister, told reporters outside court that justice had been done for the children. She said: "Victory to them. They've gone down. That's it."

The trio were found guilty of killing Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13, in the blaze at their home in Derby last May.

Philpott and Mairead started the fire in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Together with Mosley, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong as fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road with temperatures reaching 500C.

The judge described the plot as "a wicked and dangerous plan" that was "outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person".

The three defendants had devised the plan to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Philpott had become "obsessed" with Ms Willis and, after she left, did everything to get her back, said Mrs Justice Thirlwall.

She told him: "You could not stand the fact that she had crossed you. You were determined to make sure she came back and you began to put together your plan."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Kate Meynell from Derbyshire Police said: "Six innocent children died as a result of the actions of their parents, the very people who should have protected them against danger. 

The Philpotts gave a news conference following the blaze

"The Philpotts and Paul Mosley showed no regard for the safety of the children and since the fire have shown no remorse for their actions.

"They have lied throughout the investigation and court case.  There were plenty of opportunities to admit their guilt but they never did and persisted with their denials.

"This has been an incredibly tragic case to investigate and today's sentences bring this difficult inquiry to a close."

The judge was expected to sentence the trio on Wednesday but wanted more time to reflect after mitigation on behalf of the defendants. There were extra police officers on duty outside court.

On Wednesday, Philpott made obscene hand gestures from the dock as he was heckled by members of Mairead's family following his defence team's plea for leniency.

The taunting came after lawyers argued he was a "very good father" who had been "unable to grieve".

The aftermath of the house fire

His barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC, urged the judge to pass the minimum sentence on him, saying the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

The defence teams of Mairead and Mosley also appealed for leniency as part of the mitigation process in the case.

Unemployed Philpott's criminal record was laid bare in court. It emerged he was on bail for a violent road rage incident at the time of the children's deaths.

A week before the fire he had appeared in court and admitted common assault but denied dangerous driving after punching another driver who he thought had pulled out in front of him at a roundabout.

The court was told the previous girlfriend he had stabbed 13 times was so badly hurt that she still has to take medication.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978, leaving her with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping his wife and dragging her from their home by the hair.

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Ovenden Sex Case: Tate Removes Artist's Work

The Tate has removed several works by artist Graham Ovenden from the its online collection following his conviction for child sex offences.

The Tate owns 34 prints by the Cornish artist.

A spokeswoman for the gallery said: "Graham Ovenden is an artist of note, whose work has been widely shown over more than 40 years.

"However, following his conviction at Truro Crown Court, the Tate is seekng further information and is reviewing the online presentation of those editioned prints by him that are held in the national collection.

"Until this review is complete, the images will not be available online and the works will not be available to view by appointment."

The works were acquired in 1975, many from Mayfair art dealer the Waddington Galleries, which exhibited Ovenden's work in the early 1970s.

Many of the 34 works, dating from 1970-1975, depict children.

One of the prints that has been taken off the site is a screenprint that features an image of a young naked child.

Ovenden was found guilty of six charges of indecency with a child and one allegation of indecent assault by a jury on Tuesday.

He was acquitted of two indecent assaults and the jury earlier found Ovenden not guilty of three charges of indecent assault on the direction of the judge, Graham Cottle.

Ovenden had denied all the charges relating to four children between 1972 and 1985.

Sentencing was adjourned until a later date and Ovenden, who lives near Bodmin Moor, was released on bail.

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Man City's Tevez Fined For Driving Offences

Footballer Carlos Tevez has been fined and ordered to do 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The Manchester City striker admitted the offences in his native Spanish with the aid of an interpreter as he stood in the dock at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court.

The court heard the player had suffered a "frightening" experience and a "salutary lesson" after being taken into custody and arrested by police last month.

Tevez, who earns £200,000 a week, received the community order for driving while disqualified, was banned for six months, and fined £60.

For having no insurance, he was fined £1,000 and was ordered told to pay £85 in costs.

The maximum penalty for driving while disqualified is six months in prison.

Reporting from court, Sky's Becky Johnson said: "He (Tevez) carried out an interview today with a probation officer in which he said he was sorry and said he wanted to give something back to the community.

"His lawyer made it clear his client did recognise how serious the offences are and was unlikely to ever do anything like that again."

Mike Boliver, the Probation Service officer, told the court the footballer had no previous convictions so rehabilitation was not appropriate and neither was a curfew order because of the travel involved with his job.

Mr Boliver added: "He was very clear when talking to me this has been a very salutary lesson. I think the seriousness and significance of this type of offence, I think the likelihood of this happening again is very, very slim.

Tevez celebrates after scoring a goal last November

"Mr Tevez would welcome a chance to put something back into the community. Clearly, he is fit for unpaid work."

Passing sentence, chair of the bench Elizabeth Depares told the defendant: "Mr Tevez, you must realise you are a role model to thousands, if not millions, of fans but nobody is above the law. You should not have been driving.

"We have heard that you are sorry and it is now up to you to ensure you will not be brought back to court again."

The court heard the Argentinian player has not yet got a UK driving licence, partly because he has struggled to pass the theory test which is conducted in English.

Tevez's guilty plea followed his arrest near his home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, last month.

The 29-year-old player was stopped as he left a golf club in a Porsche Cayenne on March 7 after an anonymous tip-off to police.

In January, he was banned from driving for six months after admitting two counts of failing to provide information relating to incidents in which his Hummer vehicle was clocked speeding.

Tevez did not attend that hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

He was represented by his solicitor who told the court the footballer failed to respond to documents because he did not recognise the word "constabulary".

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Lake Tragedy: Tributes To Mum And Daughter

The family of a mother and daughter who died on a boat in the Lake District have paid tribute to "two beautiful girls" who were "taken too soon".

Kelly Webster, 36, and her daughter, Lauren Thornton, both from Leyland in Lancashire, died while on a boating holiday on Windermere.

Police believe a generator may have caused the deaths, releasing carbon monoxide. The deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

In a statement issued by Cumbria Police, relatives of the pair said: "Our two beautiful girls taken so tragic and so too soon. We all love you so very much words will never say. Our hearts are broken and we will miss you forever.

"Kelly and Lauren ... never forgotten."

Windermere is in the Lake District

Lauren's father, Neil Thornton, said: "My darling daughter lollipop, you were everything to me, a light has gone out that will never be replaced.

"Sweet dreams, goodnight, god bless, Daddy."

Police said the third person on the boat, Ms Webster's partner Matthew Eteson, 39, raised the alarm on Monday afternoon after he experienced serious breathing difficulties.

Ms Webster and Lauren were treated by paramedics and airlifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary where they died.

Mr Eteson, the boat's owner, was released from hospital yesterday after receiving treatment.

Detective Inspector Mike Brown, who is leading the investigation, has said: "What we are looking at specifically is an after-market generator that has been fitted in the engine compartment of the boat which we believe may be the cause of this.

"But, again, it's still early stages in the investigation so we can't rule anything out."

Cumbria Police said officers are continuing their inquiries on behalf of the coroner.

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

Mick Philpott, who killed six children by setting fire to his home, stabbed a previous girlfriend 13 times, injuring her so badly she still has to take medication, a court has heard.

Philpott's criminal record was laid out in front of a judge at Nottingham Crown Court, who will tomorow sentence him and his partner, Mairead, for the manslaughter of their six children.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978 leaving her severely injured with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping Mairead and dragging her from their home by her hair.

But his barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC urged that the judge should pass the minimum sentence on Philpott on the grounds that he was a "good father", who had lost his children.

He said that the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

Philpott and his partner Mairead, 32, started the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

Together with their friend Paul Mosley, 46, who will also be sentenced tomorrow, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong and fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road, Derby, with temperatures reaching 500C.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, aged eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and 13-year-old Duwayne, all died.

The three had devised the plan in a bid to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

In mitigation at court today, Mr Orchard said that the fire had gone "disastrously wrong" because it spread too quickly.

However, the judge countered that even if the children had been saved by Philpott, as intended, the experience would still have been terrifying.

She said: "If the plan had been successful the effect on the children would have been this, would it not - they would have been awoken in their beds with their house on fire and their father coming in to rescue them."

The judge said that she was troubled by Philpott's attitude to women and pointed out that there had been violence in every one of his relationships.

She heard that Mairead had devoted her life to bringing up the children and that they were "happy children" despite their unusual living arrangements.

Her barrister, Sean Smith QC, told the court Mairead "is not a woman who has a heart of stone, her grief is overwhelming".

Mairead Philpott does not have a 'heart of stone'

He said Mairead had spent 12-and-a-half of her 32 years with Philpott and realised it was "utter folly" to stay with him but that she "would do whatever he said, whatever he wanted".

Mr Smith said that she "will be forever known as a child killer" and even when released from prison she would never be able to have children or be involved with children.

After the mitigation speeches for each defendant had finished there were obscene gestures made by relatives of Mairead Philpott towards Mick Philpott in the dock.

He responded by making hand gestures himself before being led away by a team of security guards ahead of sentencing at 3pm.

Temperatures inside the house reached 500C

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Mosley, 46, on Tuesday after an eight-week trial.

Upon their conviction, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, of Derbyshire Police, revealed how he suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a press conference.

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

Philpott became known as Shameless Mick for a lifestyle, which saw him take charge of some £2,000 a month in benefits, and claim he needed a bigger council home in which to house his vast family.

His propensity for cashing in on the welfare state propelled him on to television screens in a documentary with Ann Widdecombe and on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

But the role he played in the devastating fire on May 11 that led to allegations he was "acting".

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, told Sky News how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Jamie said: "You watch Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all the time, and you can see people are acting, because they get paid to act. That's exactly what he was doing, he wasn't being paid for it, but he was acting. There was no emotion, he was motionless, there was nothing."

Even as Philpott went to see the bodies of the dead children at Derby Royal Hospital he attempted to keep up the act.

Mortuary manager Marie Smith described how Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

She said he also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

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Iain Banks Announces He Has 'Months' To Live

Best-selling author Iain Banks has announced he has cancer and only several months to live.

In a statement posted on his website, the Scottish novelist revealed he is in the final stages of gall-bladder cancer and is unlikely to live "beyond a year".

"I am officially Very Poorly," he says. "After a couple of surgical procedures, I am gradually recovering from jaundice caused by a blocked bile duct, but that - it turns out - is the least of my problems.

Banks is considered to be among the 50 greatest British writers since 1945

"I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes.

"The bottom line, now, I'm afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I'm expected to live for 'several months' and it's extremely unlikely I'll live beyond a year.

"So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last."

Mr Banks writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, which includes the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies.

Enthusiasts of his work took to Twitter to express their sadness and share memories of some of his best remembered novels.

In 2008, The Times said Mr Banks belonged in their list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

Some of his best-known works include The Wasp Factory, published in 1984, and Complicity, published in 1993, which was later made into the film Retribution in 2000.

His statement announced he had withdrawn from all planned public engagements and that his publishers were doing all they could to bring the publication date of The Quarry forward.

He also announced his intention to marry.

"I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry - but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we'll be married and on a short honeymoon".

Mr Banks revealed he was weighing up the possibility of undergoing treatment in an attempt to prolong the time he has left to live.

"There is a possibility that it might be worth undergoing a course of chemotherapy to extend the amount of time available," he said.

"However, that is still something we're balancing the pros and cons of, and, anyway, it is out of the question until my jaundice has further and significantly, reduced."

A website is to be set up where friends, family and fans will be able to leave messages to the author.

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First Charges In Savile Sex Investigation

A man is to be charged as part of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal - the first charges under Operation Yewtree.

Driver David Smith will be charged with five sex offences including two of indecent assault on a boy under 14 in 1984 and two of gross indecency on a boy under 14 at the same time. 

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said: "The CPS has carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to David Smith, who was employed as a driver at the time of the allegations.

"The CPS received a file of evidence on December 21 2012. Further enquiries were necessary and the result of those enquiries was received by the CPS on March 18.

"We have concluded, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest for David Smith to be charged with five offences."

Smith, who was arrested in December last year, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 8.

Savile's record of abuse is thought to be unprecedented - with 28 alleged victims being boys and girls aged under 10. However, many of the TV star's accusers only came forward after his death.

More follows...

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London Police Chase Crash: Dead Men Named

Two men killed in a police pursuit in north London died of multiple chest injuries, an inquest has heard.

Gregory Jones, 38, and Shaka Henry, 33, both from Islington, died in Tottenham on Friday morning after the black Audi they were in jumped a red light, clipped a white van and crashed into a bridge, Barnet Coroner's Court was told.

The 30-year-old driver tried to flee the scene but was arrested and is currently in custody.

According to witnesses, police tried desperately to save the two passengers but they were pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest will be delayed by up to six months while investigations by the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission continue.

Coroner Andrew Walker said: "It is likely to be between four and six months before the investigation by the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) and road traffic unit is complete.

"I am setting up a review date of July 2 this year, at which point I hope we will be able to have a look at both the reports.

"I am not setting up an inquest date at this point because the person driving the car is in custody and may face charges.

"If this happens it may delay an inquest hearing.

"I would like to offer sincere condolences to the members of the family."

The driver of the car was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, driving under the influence, driving without a licence and possession with intent to supply class A drugs, Scotland Yard said.

The driver of the white van was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

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Di Canio Won't Talk Politics But Divides Fans

Sunderland's new manager Paolo Di Canio has refused to talk about politics as anger over his admitted fascist beliefs grows.

His first press conference came as the Durham Miners' Association said it was demanding the return of the Wearmouth Miners' Banner, which is on permanent display in the Stadium of Light.

General Secretary Dave Hopper said: "The appointment of Di Canio is a disgrace and a betrayal of all who fought and died in the fight against fascism."

He added: "I, like many thousands of miners have supported Sunderland from infancy and are passionate about football. But, there are principles which are much more important.

"Our banner represents the Durham miners' long struggle for the rights of the working class, rights which were annihilated by fascism in Germany, Italy, Spain and Chile."

The stadium was built on the site of Wearmouth Colliery, where Mr Hopper worked for 27 years.

Di Canio's arrival over the weekend was swiftly followed by the resignation of local MP David Miliband as club vice-chairman.

The 44-year-old former Swindon manager and West Ham striker admitted in a 2005 interview with an Italian news agency to being "a fascist, but not a racist".

Di Canio refused to talk the press about his political beliefs

In a statement on Monday he called talk about his political beliefs "stupid and ridiculous".

At a somewhat heated session on Tuesday Di Canio said: "I don't have to answer any more this question, there was a very good statement from the club, (with) very, very clear words that came out from me.

"I don't want to talk any more about politics for one reason because I'm not in the House of Parliament, I'm not a political person, I will talk about only football."

When he did talk about football, Di Canio insisted his energy, knowledge and experience would help lift Sunderland away from the relegation zone.

Di Canio said: "When I got the call, I felt fire in my belly. I would have swam to Sunderland to take the job."

Some fans were ready to judge him on how he improves the club's performance but a Facebook page called Sunderland Against Fascist Di Canio has already received more than 3,300 'likes'.

Fan Mick Clark said: "There's no place for fascism in football ... di Canio's appointment disgraces a great club."

But James Hughes said: "Di Canio isn't planning on gathering an army to suppress and cause harm to others and his interest in being here is managing a football team and fighting for survival ... survival from relegation."

On the website of supporters' magazine A Love Supreme, Rob Johnson wrote: "Words can hardly express how sickened and ashamed I am by the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as our new manager."

Richard Parker said: "For the first time in nearly 40 years, I find myself questioning whether I can continue to support our great club in the way I have done over the years."

But Terry Reilly from West Sussex urged fans to let their new manager get on with his role "of turning round a sinking ship and judge him on his ability to motivate the team and avoid relegation".

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Teenager Shot Dead In North London Named

A 19-year-old man who died after he was shot in the chest in north London has been named.

Mohammed Hussein was found collapsed in Bounces Road, Edmonton at around 9.45pm on Monday.

Paramedics battled for half an hour to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jordan Simbananiye, 18, said: "At first I thought it was a firework, but then, when I looked out of the window and saw all the police and paramedics, I realised someone had been shot.

"They spent about 20 or 30 minutes trying to resuscitate him but then after about half an hour they put a blanket over him. Blood was just pouring out of him - it was shocking."

A police tent at the scene

Another witness Alexandra Koohi, 21, said she heard shouting and then shots an hour later.

She said: "I heard lots of shouting outside the kebab shop, then an hour later I was in my bedroom and I heard two shots.

"I looked out of my window and the guy was lying on the floor and there was blood everywhere."

She ran with a neighbour to help and said she saw three men running away after the shooting.

A third resident, who did not want to be named, said: "Earlier in the night a group of guys chased after the victim, who was in a car with a mate, and smashed a window.

"He then came back later and that's when the shooting happened. He was with three of his friends and I think they ran off when he was shot."

Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin said: "I am appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Bounces Road or Walbrook House at 9.45pm to help us with our investigation."

Scotland Yard said a post-mortem will take place later today.

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Benefits: Osborne Defends Welfare Shake-Up

George Osborne has robustly defended the Government's controversial benefits shake-up - insisting Britain can no longer afford to reward people who do the "wrong thing".

Speaking at a supermarket distribution centre in Kent, the Chancellor condemned the old system as "fundamentally broken", and warned Labour that they were out of step with public opinion on the issue.

Mr Osborne insisted that nine out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the welfare and tax changes.

He said people in Britain understood that the welfare system needed to change.

"In 2010 alone, payments to working age families cost £90bn. That means about one in every £6 of tax that working people like you pay was going on working age benefits. To put that into perspective - that's more than we spend on our schools," he said.

He pledged to make sure people were better off in work than out, thereby making the system much "fairer". Changes, such as cutting housing benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a spare bedroom, were simply asking people on welfare to take the same choices as working families, he said.

The Chancellor told the Morrisons workers: "For too long, we've had a system where people who did the right thing - who get up in the morning and work hard - felt penalised for it, while people who did the wrong thing got rewarded for it.

People will no longer be better off on the dole than in work, Osborne vowed

"That's wrong ... This month we will make work pay.

"What this Government is trying to do is to put things right. We're trying to make the system fair on people like you, who get up, go to work, and expect your taxes to be spent wisely.

"And we're trying to restore hope in those communities who have been let down by generations of politicians by getting them back into work."

Wider welfare and tax changes coming into force this month will also see council tax benefit funding cut, and working-age benefits and tax credit rises pegged at 1% - well below inflation - for three years.

Disability Living Allowance is being replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), while trials are due to begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on household benefits, and of the new Universal Credit system.

In his speech at the supermarket depot, Mr Osborne dismissed "depressingly predictable outrage" about the reforms, claiming they would help the most vulnerable and "give people a ladder out of poverty".

He said: "Because defending every line item of welfare spending isn't credible in the current economic environment.

Critics of the Government's housing benefit reforms call it a 'bedroom tax'

"Because defending benefits that trap people in poverty and penalise work is defending the indefensible.

"The benefit system is broken; it penalises those who try to do the right thing; and the British people badly want it fixed.

"We agree - and those who don't are on the wrong side of the British public."

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls told Sky News that "the truth" was that households were losing out because of the reforms.

Citing an independent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing the average family would be £891 worse off this year as a result of all the coalition's changes since 2010, he added: "Working families are worse off and now the Government is cutting the top rate of income tax only for the richest people.

"A millionaires tax cut paid for by millions of working people. That's not fair, that's not right."

Changes that mean the rate for top rate taxpayers has been reduced from 50% to 45% also came into effect this month.

IDS is under pressure to prove he would be able to live on £53 a week

Sky News Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones described Mr Osborne's speech as "combative" and "aggressive".

"He has not apologised for the stance he is taking," he said.

It came a day after Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of the reforms, was facing a a growing backlash after suggesting that he could get by on £53 a week, rather than his current after-tax income of £1,600 a week.

In the wake of the comment in a radio interview, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition on the change.org website, calling for the minister to try surviving on that money for a year.

During his speech on Tuesday Mr Osborne refused to be drawn on whether he could manage on £53 a week. In response to a question, he said: "I don't think it's about sensible to reduce this debate to one individual's state of circumstances.

"We have a welfare system where there are lots of benefits available to people on very low incomes. 

"This debate is not about any individual, it's about creating a welfare system that rewards work."

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Windermere Boat Deaths: Engine Investigated

Police are investigating whether a faulty boat generator was responsible for the death of a mother and her daughter from suspected gas poisoning.

Kelly Webster, 36, and her daughter Lauren Thornton, 10,  from Leyland in Lancashire, fell asleep after eating their lunch on board the 25ft cruiser during an Easter holiday trip.

Cumbria Police said that "all signs" indicated that carbon monoxide poisoning was responsible for the deaths and said they were looking at a potential fault with a generator fitted to the boat's engine.

The boat was moored at Bowness when the family suffered breathing problems

Mrs Webster and her daughter were regular visitors to the area along with her partner, Matthew Eteson, who owned the boat, and had arrived at the lake on Easter Sunday.

On Monday, the three took the boat out and moored at Bowness before going to get some lunch then returning to eat it and falling asleep.

Emergency services were called at 4pm and paramedics tried to save the mother and daughter, who were air lifted to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, but they died in the hospital.

Emergency services at the scene (Pic: Josh Kynaston)

Mrs Webster's partner, Matthew Eteson, 39, who is the director of Preston Energi, a heating and plumbing company, was also taken to hospital for treatment but was released today.

Detective Inspector Mike Brown, of Cumbria Police, said the they were investigating whether the generator, which was added to the boat after manufacture, was the cause of the tragedy.

He said: "We cannot fully establish with any degree of certainty that that is the cause of any gas leak but that certainly looks to be a possibility.

"So we are looking at that and how that has been fitted and looking at it with experts that know how these things work and what could potentially go wrong."

The family were airlifted to hospital (Pic: Josh Kynaston)

A number of floral tributes have been left outside Mrs Webster's Leyland home and messages have been posted on Facebook.

David Hampson posted: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Matt, Kelly and Lauren, what a tragedy, they had such happy plans for their future together.

"To think a £20.00 CO monitor would have saved their lives. I will buy one today."

The scene of the tragedy

Ross Bullough wrote: "God bless Kelly and Lauren, rest in peace such a shame. And Matt we are all hoping you get better soon."

Josh Kynaston, who witnessed the emergency response, said crews had spent some time trying to locate the boat on the jetty.

He said: "They were trying to find the problem boat. Once they had found it, all the medics were out, all the fire brigade, all the police and they were trying to get to them as soon as possible because they knew straight away what what up, that they knew there was a problem with some gas leakage."

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NHS Chief Warns Of Cosmetic Treatment 'Risks'

Patients who have non-surgical cosmetic treatments are being exposed to "unreasonable risks" because of a lack of training for those carrying them out, the man leading a review of plastic surgery standards has said.

NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh said his report on the state of the industry would make recommendations to ensure patients "were in safe hands" when it is released later this month.

It is believed this will mean a new law requiring everyone from beauty therapists to medically-trained doctors to have additional formal qualifications before carrying out treatments.

Sir Bruce said he was worried that non-surgical procedures - which include dermal fillers, or laser treatment for wrinkles or hair reduction - make up 90% of the sector but are largely unregulated.

"All too often we hear of cases that shine a light on poor practices in the cosmetic surgery industry.

"I am concerned that some practitioners who are giving non-surgical treatments may not have had any appropriate training whatsoever.

"This leaves people exposed to unreasonable risks, and possibly permanent damage. And our research has shown that the public expect procedures that are so widely available to be safe whereas they are largely unregulated.

"There is a clear need for better quality, recognised training for the people performing these operations.

"My review will make a number of recommendations for making sure people who choose to undergo these procedures are in safe hands," he said.

The review was commissioned after the PIP breast implant scandal

The review into the cosmetic industry, requested by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, is due to be released later in April.

It was launched after around 40,000 women in the UK received implants manufactured by the now-closed French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP), mostly in private UK clinics.

The implants were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.

Conservative health minister Dr Dan Poulter, said: "I am pleased that Sir Bruce Keogh's review has been looking at what training people are getting before they perform cosmetic operations - people under the care of cosmetic firms need to know that they are in medically skilled and safe hands.

"I await Sir Bruce Keogh's recommendations in full, but am clear that we must ensure that people undergoing cosmetic procedures are in the hands of someone with the right skills and training.

"The days of cosmetic cowboys must become a thing of the past."

Several other measures have been suggested to the review team by the public, the industry itself and patient groups.

They include a ban on cut-price deals, a clampdown on aggressive sales techniques and a two-stage consent process for potential patients to allow them time to reflect before making a final decision.

The ideas were released in an interim report in December but the Department of Health said at the time that the review is not bound to adopt them and can come up with its own recommendations.

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Welfare Reforms 'Will Make Benefits Fairer'

The Government is beginning the biggest shake-up in the history of the Welfare State with the introduction of a raft of reforms which it says will make the benefits system "fairer".

Chancellor George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have dismissed criticism that they say makes the shake-up sound like "the beginning of the end of the world".

From today, 660,000 social housing tenants with a spare room began to lose an average £14 a week in what critics have dubbed a "bedroom tax".

It is part of a package of welfare and tax changes coming into force this month which critics claim will hit poor families and the disabled particularly hard.

Mr Duncan Smith said the changes were about "getting some fairness in the system".

An overhaul to council tax benefit will see bills for an estimated 2.4 million households rise an average £138 a year, with two million paying for the first time, an anti-poverty group said. Administration of the benefit has been handed to town halls to operate, but with a 10% funding cut.

On April 6, working-age benefits and tax credits will be cut in real terms with the first of three years of maximum 1% rises - well below the present rate of inflation.

On April 8, disability living allowance begins to be replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), which charities say will remove support from many in real need.

And later in the month, trials begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on any household's benefits and of the new universal credit system.

George Osborne says the benefits system will now be 'fairer' for all

Pilots for the flagship scheme have been scaled back amid reports - denied by welfare officials - that IT problems have derailed preparations for its roll-out from October.

Labour claims the impact of the measures and other coalition policies have left the average family almost £900 a year worse off.

A coalition of churches has said vulnerable people are paying a "disproportionate price" for the Government's austerity drive and attacked its whole approach.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Osborne and Mr Duncan Smith said: "Our changes will ensure that the welfare state offers the right help to those who need it, and is fair to those who pay for it."

Ending what ministers call a "spare room subsidy" will address the "scandal" of a million people living in overcrowded conditions and millions more on waiting lists, they said.

The three-year, real-terms cut was a hard but "necessary" decision to save the taxpayer £2bn a year as part of austerity deficit-reduction measures, they wrote.

And raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 in two phases starting at the start of the financial year on Saturday was "the biggest tax cut in a generation".

"What we're doing this coming week is making welfare fairer, helping to create jobs, and making sure you can keep more of what you earn."

Mr Duncan Smith has drawn some criticism for saying he could survive on £7.57 per day - the amount given to to one benefits claimant who was interviewed by the BBC. The Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio Four's Today programme he could live on £53 a week if he "had to".

Mr Shapps has defended his plans for children to share bedrooms

It came after Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps faced scorn after using the fact that his own two sons shared a room in trying to justify the "common sense" spare room crackdown.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Shapps said: "It is wrong to leave people out in the cold with effectively no roof over their heads because the taxpayer is paying for rooms which aren't in use.

"It's just a common-sense reform which in the end will help house more people. People share rooms quite commonly - my boys share a room."

Sky's political correspondent Sophy Ridge said his comments provoked jibes and criticism from Labour MPs and others on Twitter.

"The problem is the debate over welfare has become so politically charged, emotional even, that some Labour MPs are saying it is not appropriate for Mr Shapps, who is a millionaire, to compare themselves with people on low paid jobs for instance," she said.

Labour said freedom of information responses showed local councils had sufficient one and two-bedroom properties to house only one in 20 of those families with spare rooms.

Responses from 37 authorities across Britain revealed 96,041 households faced losing benefit but there were only 3,688 smaller homes available.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax.

"They say it's not a tax but 96% of people have nowhere to move to. In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape.

"This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector."

:: Changes to the way NHS budgets are controlled are also being introduced from April 1, with the controversial health reforms seeing responsibility for commissioning care transferred from primary care trusts to groups made up of doctors and other clinicians.

And the legal aid system is also being overhauled, with the number of people who qualify cut by 75% and areas including custody battles, divorce and employment law affected.

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Guildford Station Murder Probe: Tributes Paid

Tributes have been paid to a 22-year-old man who died when he was hit by a train after a confrontation at a railway station.

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the victim, named locally as Ryan Harrison, suffered fatal injuries at Guildford Station, in Surrey, on Saturday night.

A short time earlier Mr Harrison, from Woking, Surrey, was with a friend when he became involved in an altercation with a number of other men.

Paramedics were called but Mr Harrison was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death is being treated as suspicious, British Transport Police said.

Friend Jake Lund wrote on Facebook: "Cant believe this has happened to such a nice person, rip Ryan."

Sarah Tuffs wrote on Twitter: "R.i.p Ryan harrison, you will be missed by so many, life is too short."

Amir Ahmed also wrote on Twitter: "RIP Ryan Harrison. Still in shock. Gone, but never forgotten."

Two 19-year-old men, from Guildford, were arrested at the scene while a third man, from Cranleigh, Surrey, handed himself into a Guildford police station later.

They all remain in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Miller, the senior investigating officer, said: "Our thoughts are very much with the man's family at this acutely difficult time for them.

"They're trying to come to terms with what has happened and at this stage, quite understandably, they have asked to be left alone to grieve."

The station was sealed off until the early hours of Sunday while forensics officers examined the scene.

Officers are hoping to recover footage from CCTV cameras, but they also want to hear from any witnesses at the station.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Weather: Jet Stream Blamed For UK Cold Snap

As Britain leaves behind what looks to have been the coldest March for more than 50 years, forecasters are warning it will stay cold for another week at least.

Meteorologists are blaming the bad weather on the position of the jet stream, a narrow band of very strong winds which tends to move from west to east across the Atlantic, bringing our weather systems with it.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "The jet stream is currently displaced well to the south of its usual position across the north Atlantic and Europe, located across the Azores, Spain and the Mediterranean.

"So the UK will remain stuck in the cold air to the north and it's set to stay cold for at least another week.

"Daytime highs during this first week of April will remain well below average (9C to 11C for early April) and as the easterly wind strengthens again it will feel bitterly cold. Some snow is still likely, too."

The jet stream is a band of strong winds at around 30,000 feet

However, she said that next week temperatures will start to pick up by several degrees.

"It is still a way off yet in terms of detail but the trend is there for something a little warmer with highs around the average, or even a little above. This is no April fool..."

The position of a jet stream varies within the natural fluctuations of the environment. They are caused by the temperature difference between tropical air masses around the equator and and polar air masses.

Experts argue about why the jet stream is out of position, but it could be caused by a combination of the reduction in Arctic sea ice over the last few decades, climate change, solar activity and natural variability within the climate.

The Met Office says the average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below the long-term average.

This would make it the coldest March since 1962 and also the fourth coldest in the UK since records began in 1910.

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David Miliband Quits Sunderland Over Di Canio

Sunderland's Hero Or Fascist Zero?

Updated: 12:49pm UK, Monday 01 April 2013

By Matt Teale, Sports Presenter

So, Paolo Di Canio, not Martin O'Neill, is the man to steer Sunderland to safety, according to the club's owner Ellis Short.

The timing of O'Neill's departure has baffled many, with his experienced head discarded in place of a manager whose biggest achievement to date is guiding Swindon Town to the League Two title last season.

To be fair to Mr Short, the recent stats under O'Neill don't look good: eight games without a win, one point above the relegation zone and only seven games to turn things around. Things, clearly, weren't working and time is something managers just aren't given any more - the cost of relegation is too high.

But the controversy over Di Canio's appointment goes far beyond his relative inexperience as a manager.

The club's vice-chairman, David Miliband MP, resigned his post almost as soon as the news came out in protest at the new manager's "past political statements".

Di Canio has self-confessed fascist sympathies, having been fined and banned for a game in 2005 by the Italian football authorities after making raised-arm salutes while playing for Lazio.

There was more controversy after describing fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini as "basically misunderstood" in his autobiography.

But what, if anything, will all that matter to fans?

Not a lot, if former Sunderland player Darren Williams is to be believed.

He told Sky News Sunrise that if Di Canio can save Sunderland, the fans will see him as a hero, regardless of any views he holds.

His leadership style has been described by his former chief-executive at Swindon as "management by hand grenade".

Sunderland will certainly need to find some fire power if their Premier League status is to be maintained.

For Mr Short, who's been marshalling recent events from a beach, the appointment of Di Canio could either turn out to be a stroke of genius or one of the worst examples of preemptive panic button pressing in recent memory.

If it's the former, Di Canio's fascist sympathies, which, presumably, were present while he was at Swindon, may well be forgotten again. If it's the latter, Mr Short might consider staying on holiday in Hawaii.

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Plebgate: Mitchell's Scotland Yard Complaint

Ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell has lodged a formal complaint against Scotland Yard over the apparent leaking of its report into the "Plebgate" affair.

The senior Tory MP has written to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) accusing the Metropolitan Police of a continued campaign to "destroy" his career.

Mr Mitchell took the action after newspaper reports suggested a police file passed to the Crown Prosecution Service contained no evidence that officers lied about his behaviour.

He strongly denies calling officers "plebs" during an altercation over their refusal to allow him to ride his bike through the Downing Street gates last year.

And the politician - who quit as chief whip amid the storm over the incident - claims he is the victim of a conspiracy by officers to "toxify" the Tories and blacken his name.

In a letter to IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass, he wrote: "We are deeply dismayed that the Metropolitan Police appear to have leaked part of their Report prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to certain members of the Press and spun it to the advantage of the Police officers involved.

"This was an Enquiry into a dishonest and illicit attempt to blacken my name and destroy my career. It would appear that this police enquiry continues precisely that process."

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said the latest development showed it was wrong for Scotland Yard to lead the inquiry into its own officers and called for the whole investigation to be taken over by the IPCC.

Scotland Yard is trying to find out how the Sun and Daily Telegraph obtained information about the "Plebgate" row and if it came from police.

It is also looking at a police officer's claim to have witnessed the altercation and allegations by Mr Mitchell that police had lied in a log of the event.

Three officers from the Diplomatic Protection Group have so far been arrested as part of the investigation. All three remain suspended.

Some 30 detectives have taken statements from all 800 officers in the DPG, which is tasked with protecting government officials.

Papers related to the case were passed to prosecutors on Thursday, but the CPS said it was not "a full file of evidence" and that is expected more.

"We now await the conclusion of the police investigation before considering charges," it said in what was seen as a rebuke to the force.

A number of newspapers subsequently reported sources as saying the file did not contain any evidence to back Mr Mitchell's claim of a conspiracy by officers.

Mr Vaz said the committee had argued from the start that Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was wrong to allow Scotland Yard to conduct the investigation.

Britain's most senior police officer promised a "ruthless" investigation into the alleged conspiracy "no matter where the truth takes us".

It is being supervised by the IPCC and the commissioner invited the Greater Manchester force to provide an external review.

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Mercury 'Took Diana To Gay Bar In Drag'

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury disguised Princess Diana as a male model and smuggled her into a gay bar during the 1980s, according to a comedienne's memoir.

Rocos reveals the incident in her memoir The Power Of Positive Drinking

Cleo Rocos, whose book The Power Of Positive Drinking is being serialised in the Sunday Times, recalls how she, Mercury and fellow comedian Kenny Everett dressed Diana in an army jacket, cap and sunglasses for a night out at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, south London.

Rocos, who co-starred in Everett's TV show, said: "When we walked in... we felt she was obviously Princess Diana and would be discovered at any minute.

"But people just seemed to blank her. She sort of disappeared. But she loved it."

Rocos says she did not know whether Diana was propositioned in the bar in her guise, but adds: "She did look like a beautiful young man."

The presence of Mercury, Everett and Rocos diverted revellers' attention and Diana was able to order drinks undetected, Rocos says.

The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Mercury died in 1991 of an Aids-related illness.

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Man Shot Dead While Making Pizza Delivery

A 26-year-old man has been shot dead outside a pizza takeaway shop in Belfast.

The victim is understood to have been hit twice during the gun attack at Kennedy Way in the west of the city on Saturday night.

At this stage police say the killing is not believed to be sectarian.

Officers said the man was rushed to hospital, but died a short time later.

Detectives have launched a murder investigation and the scene remained sealed off on Sunday.

Paul Maskey, Sinn Fein MP for West Belfast, condemned the perpetrators of the fatal shooting.

He said: "My thoughts are with the family of the young man murdered on Kennedy Way."

The victim is believed to have been making a delivery from Domino's Pizza at around 11pm when he was attacked.

A short time later, a car was found burnt out in the Andersonstown area, near the murder scene.

Mr Maskey said: "Those who carried out this shooting should be ashamed of themselves.

"People are shocked that this is the Easter holiday period and people were in good form and someone last night was willing to go out and take the life of another individual."

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Glencoe Avalanche: Search For Missing Skier

A rescue operation has resumed on Sunday near Glencoe Ski Centre following an avalanche, but searchers say there is little chance a missing skier has survived.

One off-piste skier is feared buried in the avalanche and mountain rescue teams have so far been unable to find him.

Emergency services were alerted to the avalanche close to the Glencoe Ski Centre just after 1pm on Saturday.

Staff from the ski centre helped mountain rescue teams in the search in an off-piste skiing area in the Etive Glades, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team said.

RAF Lossiemouth and Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team were also involved.

Glencoe Mountain Resort posted on its Facebook page: "(We) regret to say that an experienced off-piste skier skiing out of the ski area was caught in a major avalanche this afternoon."

The avalanche is the second serious incident at Glencoe this year

Off-piste skiing, also referred to as "back country" skiing, involves the use of unofficial slopes which are not patrolled or maintained.

A forecast on the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service website on Saturday placed Glencoe at "considerable risk" of an avalanche.

"The snowpack is moderately to poorly bonded on many steep slopes," it said.

"Triggering is possible, even from low additional loads, particularly on the indicated steep slopes. In some cases medium-sized, in isolated cases large-sized, natural avalanches are possible."

Rescuers said the snow is up to 40 feet deep and has hampered search efforts and admitted it was unlikely the man could have survived.

John Grieve, leader of Glencoe Mountain Team, said the avalanche travelled around 1,000ft down the rocky face of the slope.

He said: "The avalanche has actually gone into a gully, and in some places the snow is about 40ft deep.

Some 30 people are involved in the search in an off-piste area of Glencoe

"It's not like a normal ski slope where it is mainly smooth and straight. There are a lot of rocks around and it is more dangerous."

Mark Fulton, 25, from Gourock, Inverclyde, who was skiing all day with his family on the slopes at the Glencoe Ski Centre, said he saw the rescue mission unfolding.

"I was up there from about 10am and at lunchtime we went in to get something to eat at the cafe and we saw an emergency helicopter hovering about," he said.

"It looked as though it was coming in to land near the bottom of the hill. When we were leaving later I saw police and mountain rescue vans all gathered as well.

"I didn't actually know there had been an avalanche until I was driving home and heard it on the radio.

"It's just not something you think about when you're going out skiing, you never think something like that will happen to you - it's like when you get on a plane, you don't think it's going to crash.

"I just hope the person is found safe and well."

Glencoe Ski area, also known as Glencoe Mountain or the White Corries ski centre, is the oldest ski area in Scotland.

In January, four people died while descending the 3,658ft Bidean Nam Bian near Glencoe. An avalanche struck without warning and swept them 1,000ft down the mountainside.

In the same month, 22-year-old Ben St Joseph, from Essex, died after falling 100 metres from Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis.

In February, three men survived falling 150 metres (450ft) in an avalanche in the Coire an t-Sneachda area of the Cairngorm mountain range.

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Archbishop Welby Holds First Easter Service

The Church of England must act as symbol of peace in an increasingly divided world, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said ahead of his first Easter Service.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the Church has to show it can manage disagreement "gracefully" over issues such as women bishops and gay marriage.

The Archbishop said the Church faced a "challenge" of showing the rest of society that its members can hold different views but still remain "gracefully and deeply committed to each other".

He said if it can do so, it can be a "sign to the world" of peace and reconciliation.

Archbishop Welby has arrived at Canterbury Cathedral for his first Easter service which is now underway.

Before the Service he said in a recorded interview with a radio station: "We need to understand reconciliation within the Church as the transformation of destructive conflict, not unanimity.

"It doesn't mean we all agree, it is that we find ways of disagreeing, perhaps very passionately but loving each other deeply at the same time, gracefully and deeply committed to each other.

"That is the challenge for the Church and that is the challenge if the Church is actually going to speak to our society which is increasingly divided in many different ways, here and overseas, over huge issues."

Mr Welby's remarks were part of a wide-ranging interview for an Easter Sunday broadcast of the Travellers' Tales slot on Premier Christian Radio.

The 57-year-old former oil industry executive, who was enthroned earlier this month at Canterbury Cathedral, told the programme how he and his wide Caroline coped after their first born child, Johanna, died in a road accident in France in 1983.

He said: "God is aware of our suffering, of the suffering of this very broken world and our suffering was as nothing compared to many people and he is at work even in the darkest places."

Asked if he could sleep at night given the pressures of his new role as Archbishop of Canterbury, Mr Welby said: "I sleep well on the whole.

"I think one of the really important things about this job is that it is not a papacy, the Archbishop of Canterbury is only one among the diocesan bishops.

Princess Eugenie arrives for the Easter service at St George's Chapel

"The Church of England is episcopally led but synodically governed, so it is not even the bishops who all decide what happens."

The Archbishop, who has more than 25,000 followers on Twitter, said it was important to use the social networks but admitted he was not good at tweeting.

He said: "I try to tweet regularly, it is a strange old thing, because a lot of twitter stuff is 'well I am just having my second piece of toast for breakfast' that sort of stuff. I am not very good at it."

His last tweet was on March 27 when he said: "In Holy Week as we approach the cross we need to recognise both the suffering of the world around and our own need of repentance."

The Catholic leader of England and Wales hailed Easter as a "triumph of light over darkness and life over death".

In his Easter Vigil, the Archbishop of Westminster quoted recently-elected Pope Francis as he called for believers to live their faith with a "young heart".

Meanwhile, the Queen attended the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle today with other members of the Royal Family.

She was joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for the Matins service at St George's Chapel, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner.

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