Sex Offences: Tougher Sentences To Be Imposed

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Judges will be urged to consider the psychological and long-term damage to victims of sex offences when passing sentence on perpetrators under new sentencing guidelines.

The new proposals, which will go out to public consultation, will also ensure the judiciary takes into account other aggravating factors, such as filming or photographing sex attacks.

They would see sentences brought up to date with advances in the technology and tactics used by offenders.

A tougher maximum sentence of 19 years should be given for "one-off" rapes, a limit currently only available for those who attack the same victim over a course of time or rape multiple victims, the guidelines state.

Mother-of-two Gabrielle Browne was attacked by a serial sex offender in 2003, when she was out running in preparation for the London Marathon.

In the years since she has devoted much of her energies to fighting for victims' rights within the judicial system.

Particularly when it comes to sentencing, she believes victims' voices are often lost in the process.

She told Sky News that in her case, her attacker could have been stopped before he targeted her, had a judge handed down a custodial sentence for crimes he committed against other women.

"One of the most shocking and disappointing revelations in the lead up to court was when I found out that only six months earlier he had attacked six women in the same park," she said.

"Some of those women were out with their children. For those six offences he received a community supervision order."

The changes are designed to make sure paedophiles, people-traffickers and rapists who operate alone or in gangs are dealt with better in courts in England and Wales.

Sentencing Council member Lord Justice Treacy said: "We're improving guidance for courts to help them deal with these incredibly complex, sensitive and serious offences.

"The perspective of victims is central to the council's considerations. We want to ensure sentences reflect everything the victim has been through and what the offender has done.

"We are looking at the whole context, not just the physical offence but also the tactics employed by offenders like grooming activity, the targeting of vulnerable victims or abuse of a position of trust."

Judges are asked to take into account factors such as stalking and previous abuse by offenders, and the targeting of vulnerable victims like those in care.

The council said the review of the guidelines had come about because the nature of offending has changed and in some cases of sexual exploitation and child grooming perpetrators use technology in offences involving indecent images of children.

"The guidelines reflect these developments so they cover the ways these crimes are committed today," the council said.

For rape, the new guidelines are designed take a broader approach covering a range of scenarios, and to recognise not just the stereotypical "stranger rapes" but to take into account that most rapes are carried out by someone the victim knows, and that many occur within families.

The council said the current guidelines for sexual assault take "too narrow an approach", and focus too much on the nature of the physical activity done by the offender.

It called for fear and intimidation to be taken into account, so an offence would be more serious if violence was threatened or threatening or violent sexual language was used.

For child sex offences the council said it wanted to increase the focus on the behaviour of offenders, how children may have been groomed or exploited, and whether offenders abused a position of trust.

It also said factors such as the use of alcohol or drugs to facilitate the offence and the use of gifts or bribes to coerce a victim should be taken into account.

The guidelines say paedophiles operating in rings or those who abuse a position of trust to create images or videos should be given tougher sentences and called for changes in the way images are classified to aid investigators.

Although Gabrielle Browne welcomes the proposed changes, she believes judges will not be fully armed with all the information necessary to pass sentence until victim impact statements become an everyday part of sentencing.

She said: "When that becomes a routine part of the court process and a routine part of the judge's papers that he considers before passing sentence there is a much greater likelihood that there will be more uniformity in sentencing and taking a victim's views into account."

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Snow And Ice Could Cause More Delays

Commuters may face further disruptions in parts of the UK as forecasters predict more snow, a day after air and train passengers endured miserable delays.

A light dusting of snow sent the UK's transport system into meltdown on Wednesday, with major holiday airport Stansted shut for more than two hours and road and rail journeys delayed.

While England and Wales are expected to enjoy milder conditions on Thursday, Scotland is braced for more cold temperatures and snow.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Today's risk of disruption from winter weather is further northwest across Scotland, northern England and Wales with the potential for ice, rain and heavy snow.

"The snow is most likely to cause problems over around 200m, where several centimetres is forecast, perhaps with as much as 10cm to 15cm building up over higher routes over 400m.

"Lower-lying areas should not be badly affected although some slushy snow is possible for a time."

:: Live transport updates

Overnight temperatures in Scotland plunged to -12C in Braemar, and up to 15cm (6in) of snow could fall on higher ground on Thursday, and 3cm (1.25in) in Aberdeenshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Motorists are warned to be careful on the icy roads

On Wednesday a 79-year-old man was found dead near a school in Angus. It is unclear whether his death was related to the weather and police are not treating it as suspicious.

The Met Office issued an amber alert for most of Scotland on Wednesday night. Four of the six regions in Scotland are under the "be prepared" snow warning, while Orkney, Shetland, southwest Scotland and the Lothian and Borders area have a yellow "be aware" alert until 11am.

Travel networks are likely to be disrupted, especially over the M8 corridor to the east of Glasgow, across Perthshire and over much of inland eastern Scotland.

Friday will bring slightly better weather all round but there could still be some problems with transport, said Lang.

"There may be some snow early on Friday which could again bring some temporary disruption to motorists - in particular over eastern counties of England," she said.

"The main theme for Friday is a drier and brighter one as the weather improves from the west, but with a cold and gusty northerly wind."

Lang said the weekend should be better, however she warned motorists should prepare for difficult driving conditions.

"Travel disruption is unlikely at the weekend - although there will still be icy roads and perhaps some fog on Saturday and the risk of some wintry showers in the north during Sunday."

Passengers' patience wore thin at Stansted

But next week is expected to be much worse, according to Lang.

"The weather is looking much colder next week with the potential for an icy blast from the east. This could bring some significant snow falls across eastern Britain."

On Wednesday, forecasters said the snow that caused transport chaos had amounted to no more than "one or two centimetres in places".

Luton, Aberdeen and Stansted airports were affected by the wintry conditions on Wednesday.

Stansted Airport, in Essex, was shut from about 6am to 8.30am, and passengers' patience wore thin as flights were delayed and then cancelled.

Patrycja Kubiak, from Poznan in Poland, was due to fly home on the 7.05am flight, but at around 8.30am she was told it had been cancelled.

The 20-year-old music student said: "I'm just surprised that such a small amount of snow can cause these problems. It only snowed for half an hour."

Flight schedules for Stansted are currently operating as normal, the airport's website said, and Luton airport also showed no indications of delays.

Rail routes in southern England were also hit by poor conditions.

Trains were cancelled between Watford Junction in Hertfordshire and Harrow and Wealdstone in northwest London, while snow caused delays of up to 90 minutes between London and Reading in Berkshire.

There were cancellations between Barnes and Hounslow via Brentford in west London, while there were delays between London and Ashford International in Kent and also between Sevenoaks in Kent and Hither Green in southeast London.

The A120 was one of the many roads in Essex to be affected by the weather, while the A171 near Scarborough was one of Yorkshire's snow-hit routes.

:: Read more on Sky News Weather, including Thursday's forecast

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'Mega-Mosque' Proposal Rejected By Council

A proposal to build one of the UK's biggest mosques with a capacity for almost 10,000 worshippers has been rejected by planning chiefs in east London.

Just over six hectares in size, they said the proposed mosque building was "too big" and would have an impact on important historic buildings nearby.

Abbey Mills Mosque - also known as the Riverine Centre - would have become one of the biggest Islamic centres in Britain and western Europe.

According to reports, the new mosque would have taken up three times the floor space of St Paul's Cathedral and matched the biggest Islamic building in Britain - Baitul Futuh in Morden, south London - for size.

The Tablighi Jamaat group, a missionary Islamic sect, was denied permission to erect the mosque by members of Newham Borough Council at a planning meeting on Wednesday night.

It was seeking the green light to build a new mosque, a library and a 2,000-capacity dining hall at the southern end of Canning Road in Stratford, near to the Olympic Park.

The Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, south London

Councillor Conor McAuley, the local authority's executive member for regeneration and strategic planning, said the committee had considered the application "at length and with great care" before rejecting it.

He said the development of new homes and jobs was a priority on the Abbey Mills site, and there were also "concerns" about the size of the proposed buildings and impact on parking and traffic in the area.

"The council undertook a rigorous and extensive consultation about the proposals in the run-up to this decision," said Mr McAuley.

"Our planning policies promote the development of the Abbey Mills site for a mix of residential, employment and community uses, to help create a new local centre near West Ham station and regenerate the area. The creation of new homes and jobs are a priority for Newham Council.

"It is not considered that this application is consistent with these policies. There are also concerns about the size of the proposed buildings and impact on parking and traffic in the local area."

He added: "The applicant's view that the site should only be used as a mosque was discussed at a public inquiry last year relating to the council's planning policy (the Core Strategy). The inspector did not accept their case."

Since Tablighi Jamaat moved to the Abbey Mills site in 1996, it has become embroiled in a series of application and enforcement disputes with Newham Council.

The group, which traces its origins to India in the late 1920s, has been accused in the past of radicalising young Muslims.

Tablighi Jamaat itself has said it "refrains from political or controversial activities and stands for democracy and freedom" and that it "promotes social and religious integration".

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Lollipop Man Killed By Car Outside School

A lollipop man has died after he was hit by a car while escorting a parent across the road to pick their child up from school.

Raymond Elsmore, 82, who had worked for more than 10 years helping children at Queens Inclosure Primary School, Waterlooville, Hampshire, suffered serious injuries in the accident at 3.05pm on Wednesday.

Mr Elsmore, who was wearing his uniform and carrying his lollipop, was hit by the car on Tempest Avenue.

He suffered head injuries and was taken by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital where he later died, according to Hampshire Police.

It is understood that, as leaving time from the school is 3.20pm, no child witnessed the accident.

However, some youngsters did see him lying in the road as the air ambulance landed to take him to hospital.

The 21-year-old female driver of the car, from Waterlooville, was arrested at the scene and later released on bail.

Flowers have been left at the scene out of respect for Mr Elsmore, who lived locally.

One tribute said: "You are a ray of sunshine. You will be dearly missed."

Local Chris Bray told the Portsmouth News the pensioner would regularly stop to chat to his son.

"You couldn't help but speak to him because he was such a nice, sweet man," he said.

"He would wave to all the cars that went by. He will be terribly missed."

Another parent, Jo Gonzaloz, 43, told the local paper: "We're going to miss him waving every morning.

"He's just the kindest gentleman you could ever know."

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Pregnant Kate: Duchess Is Out Of Hospital

The Duchess of Cambridge has been discharged from hospital after a stay of three days for treatment for severe morning sickness.

Kate, who is less than 12 weeks pregnant, left King Edward VII Hospital with Prince William and was taken to Kensington Palace to rest.

A pale, but relaxed looking Duchess, wrapped up against the cold in a coat and scarf, emerged from the building carrying a bouquet of yellow flowers.

She gave a brief smile to the waiting press before being driven away with the Duke of Cambridge by her side.

Kate was receiving treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum - a rare condition which causes severe vomiting during pregnancy and can cause dehydration, weight loss and a build-up of toxins in the blood or urine called ketosis.

She was admitted to the central London private hospital on Monday after developing the condition.

William and Kate leaving the hospital earlier

Her discharge comes the day after it emerged two Australian radio DJs managed to trick hospital staff treating the Duchess into revealing detailed information about her condition.

Sydney's 2Day FM presenters, Mel Craig and Michael Christian, impersonated the Queen and the Prince of Wales to dupe staff.

They, and the radio station, have since apologised for the prank call.

However, Christian has been promoting their stunt on Twitter telling followers in a tweet: "Still haven't heard the #RoyalPrank that has the world talking? Listen to it here..."

The hospital has said it "deplores" the stunt and is reviewing procedures.

In a brief statement, St James's Palace said: "Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank the staff at the hospital for the care and treatment the Duchess has received."

Kate's sister Pippa and her brother James spent an hour visiting her at the hospital on Wednesday, while the Duchess' parents Carole and Michael Middleton are thought to have visited their daughter on Tuesday.

There has been no announcement about when the baby is due, who will be third in line to the British throne after William and his father Charles.

The new royal will be the first great grand child of a serving monarch, in direct succession, in almost 120 years.

There has been speculation that Kate could be carrying twins, as the acute sickness she is suffering from is more common in such pregnancies.

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EuroMillions Jackpot Winner Still Unknown

Top 10 National Lottery Winners

Updated: 7:29am UK, Wednesday 05 December 2012

1. Colin and Chris Weir: £161,653,000

The Scottish husband and wife said they were "tickled pink" after becoming Europe's biggest lottery winners in July 2011. The couple have reportedly bought a fleet of cars for friends since their win, as well as a mansion.

2. Adrian and Gillian Bayford: £148,656,000

The couple, from Suffolk, decided to go public after scooping nearly £150m on the EuroMillions August 10 draw.

Mr Bayford said he would carry on running his music shop in Haverhill. Mrs Bayford, a children's ward healthcare assistant at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, said she would treat herself to her dream car, an Audi Q7.

3. Anonymous: £113,019,926

One British ticket scooped the massive prize on October 2010 but decided not to go public.

4. Dave and Angela Dawes: £101,203,600

The Cambridgeshire husband and wife hit the EuroMillions jackpot in October last year. It was only the third time the couple had played the lottery.

5. Anonymous: £84,451,320

The haul was won in May 2010 but the winner kept their identity secret.

6. Nigel Page: £56,008,113

Self-confessed white van man Nigel Page took home the win in February 2010. The skydiving enthusiast, who lived in a three-bedroom semi near Cirencester, Wiltshire, married his girlfriend Justine and moved into a mansion in the Cotswolds.

7. Anonymous: £46,432,285

A British ticket scooped the massive prize in February this year but also decided not to go public.

8. Les and Sam Scadding: £45,570,835

Unemployed mechanic Les Scadding and his wife Sam from South Wales bought one of two winning tickets which shared a £90m jackpot in November 2009. The other £45m-winning ticket was bought by a syndicate of seven office workers based in Merseyside. They each banked £6.5m.

9. Cassey Carrington: £45,160,170

The 22-year-old from Nottingham banked the staggering total after matching all five numbers and two Lucky Stars in a EuroMillions draw in February this year. The Iceland store supervisor said she planned to marry painter fiancee Matt Topham this September.

10. Gareth and Catherine Bull: £40,627,241

The Mansfield husband and wife scooped the bumper prize in January this year. Mr Bull, a self-employed builder, said he planned to splash out on an executive box at Manchester United and a new carpet.

His wife said she might go back to her job as a health insurance worker. The couple also said they planned to take their two sons, aged nine and 10, to Florida's Disneyland.

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Girl, Four, Dies After Level Crossing Crash

A four-year-old girl who was injured when the car she was travelling in collided with a train at a level crossing has died in hospital.

Emma Lifsey had been airlifted to Sheffield Children's Hospital after the incident in North Nottinghamshire on Tuesday.

A British Transport Police spokesman said "she was sadly pronounced dead in the early hours Wednesday".

The other person injured in the crash, a 67-year-old woman who was driving the car, remains in hospital and was in stable condition.

The girl's parents, Mark and Zoe Lifsey, said in a statement: "Emma meant the world to us. She was our much-loved daughter and a baby sister to her 11-year-old brother Jack.

"We are still trying to come to terms with the terrible incident on Tuesday afternoon and there are no words that can properly express how utterly distraught we are."

The Beech Hill crossing after the crash

The couple said they were thankful for the support received in the aftermath of the incident, but sought privacy at a time of grief.

They added: "This tragic incident has left us shocked and devastated and we would ask that we can be left to grieve in private at this acutely difficult and sad time for us."

The woman travelling in the car, a black Volvo, sustained serious neck injuries and bruising.

Police were investigating the accident, and said they would talk to any witnesses while experts examine evidence from the scene and the car.

Girl's death has left parents 'shocked and devastated'

The train, a Lincoln to Doncaster service, was damaged but remained upright and on the tracks. No injuries have been reported among passengers or staff onboard.

Speaking at the scene on Tuesday, Inspector Andy Selby of the British Transport Police declined to comment on whether the barriers and lights at the unmanned crossing were working correctly.

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Norovirus: More Than 600,000 Struck By Bug

More than 600,000 people are believed to have been struck down so far this year by the winter vomiting bug, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.

Symptoms include a sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhoea, while some people may have a temperature, headache and stomach cramps.

Laboratory tests have revealed a 64% rise in the number of people with the norovirus, with 2,313 confirmed cases on December 2, compared with 1,412 at the same point last year.

But the HPA estimates there are 288 unreported cases for each confirmed one, which means 666,144 people are likely to have contracted the illness.

The agency said it was unsure why more people were suffering with the virus but added that the norovirus season was always "unpredictable".

"The norovirus season is always completely unpredictable as it peaks and falls over several months - usually October to April," said Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA.

"However, one thing we do know is that every year we will see a large amount of norovirus activity because it is highly contagious.

"The figures for the last two weeks show that there has been a reduction in the numbers of outbreaks in hospitals although there are clearly a lot of other people becoming unwell as we can see from the number of lab reports.

"We would like to remind people to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes if they have symptoms consistent with a norovirus infection as it can lead to ward closures and severe disruption."

The HPA last week reported an outbreak of norovirus had led to the closure of 45 hospital wards across the previous fortnight - the virus spreads rapidly in closed environments such as hospitals, schools, nursing and residential homes.

Dr Adak added: "Norovirus is a short-lived unpleasant infection but most people will fully recover in a couple of days.

"It is important to remain hydrated as you will be losing a lot of fluids due to the symptoms. Over-the-counter medicines can also be useful in reducing headaches and other aches and pains."

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Starbucks Close To Deal On Paying More Tax

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Starbucks will try to end the damaging row over its UK tax affairs by striking a deal with the Government that it believes will involve paying a comparable level of corporation tax to Costa Coffee, the British-based chain.

The US-owned coffee shops group is close to agreeing with Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) a binding agreement over its UK corporate and tax structures.

The new terms could land Starbucks with a corporation tax bill of in the region of £10m for the current financial year.

In the 14 years since arriving in the UK, the chain has paid just £8.6m in corporation tax.

I have learned that the two sides have been in discussions about whether the agreement will be backdated as a gesture from Starbucks that would reflect its concern over the impact of the recent row on its image among British customers.

Sources close to the talks said that a retrospective application of the new structure was now unlikely.

A full statement will be made by Starbucks before the end of the week.

The company is unlikely to refer directly to Costa's tax bill, but insiders said that it had been "a reference point" in talks between Starbucks and the Government.

Tax experts questioned the premise of that discussion because Whitbread, Costa's owner, operates under a different tax structure.

In 2010-11, Costa paid around £15m in UK tax, while a year later it is expected to have paid £18m.

Costa has about 1479 shops in the UK, some of which are run by franchisees, while Starbucks owns approximately 720.

Multinationals with large operations in Britain, including Amazon and Google, have faced intense criticism in recent weeks over their minuscule UK tax bills.

The light tax burdens have been generated by a practice called transfer pricing, which involves charges being made by companies in the same group based in different jurisdictions, with the effect of depressing profits in the higher-tax jurisdiction.

In Starbucks' case, that relates to the royalty fee paid to a sister company in the Netherlands for the right to use its brand and coffee recipe.

People close to the talks said the Treasury had indicated that Mr Osborne may refer to the agreement with Starbucks in today's Autumn Statement.

Earlier this week, the Chancellor committed £77m of additional funding to combat tax avoidance and evasion.

The Treasury and Starbucks declined to comment.

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Pregnant Kate: Hospital Admits Falling For Prank

Prank callers have managed to trick hospital staff treating the Duchess of Cambridge into revealing detailed information about her condition.

Australian radio DJs impersonating the Queen and Prince of Wales were given an update about Kate, who was admitted to London's King Edward VII on Monday with severe morning sickness.

Mel Greig and Michael Christian from Sydney's 2Day FM were transferred to a duty nurse who divulged details of how doctors were treating the duchess.

The hospital has said it "deplores" the stunt and will be conducting a review of its phone system.

As Prince William arrived to visit his wife as she spends her third day in hospital, St James's Palace declined to comment on the incident.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes can confirm that an Australian radio station made a hoax call to the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Prince William visits his wife on her third day in hospital

"This call was transferred through to a ward and a short conversation was held with one of the nursing staff. King Edward VII's Hospital deeply regrets this incident."

John Lofthouse, chief executive at King Edward VII's Hospital, said: "This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore. We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and we are now reviewing our telephone protocols."

Michael Christian has been posting congratulatory Tweets and reports of the prank from around the world on his Twitter page.

He tweeted: "Can't believe we got put through!"

The radio station has since apologised - saying the the DJs had "the best intentions".

In a statement, 2Day FM said: "2Day FM sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by the inquiry to Kate's hospital, the radio segment was done with the best intentions and we wish Kate and her family all the best."

Knowingly or recklessly obtaining personal information without consent is an offence under Section 55 of Data Protection Act 1998, punishable by a fine of up to £5,000.

During the debate over UK press standards, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for those guilty of obtaining personal information by deception - known as "blaggers" - to be jailed.

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