Dec 12 2011

POLICE are checking a detached house for chemicals or other substances after two adults and two children were found dead.

Emergency services were called to a quiet cul-de-sac in Pudsey, near Leeds, late yesterday afternoon.

Neighbours living nearby said the people who lived in the modern stone-built house were an ordinary family who had lived there for only a few months.

One woman who laid flowers at a police cordon said her children went to school with two boys who lived at the house.

She said: “It’s terrible.

“From what I saw of them they were very fun-loving, kind and caring – full of life.”

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “They were a nice family.”

Police have sealed off most of Sheridan Way.

Officers and scientific support officers were at the scene this morning.

The house, which has an integral garage, has a broken lounge window – the only other sign of anything out of the ordinary.

Family photos could be seen inside. Two cars were parked outside.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers were called to the house at about 5.30pm yesterday.

He said: “Inquiries at the property will take a considerable length of time because of the possibility of hazardous chemicals or substances being present.

“However, there is not thought to be any risk to members of the public from this incident.”

Officers later sealed off the whole street as more police vehicles arrived.

Neighbours all spoke of their shock.

One woman, who lives round the corner, said: “It’s such a shock. We’ve been up all night watching what’s been going on.

“This really is a quiet street. You just don’t expect it.

“I didn’t know them apart from seeing them around and about.

“They had two boys. It’s just so sad.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed paramedics were called to the scene at 5.39pm yesterday.

A spokeswoman said a hazardous area response team was sent to the street.

Fire crews were also called to the house, a spokesman said.

Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/12/12/police-check-for-chemicals-after-two-adults-two-kids-are-found-dead-in-house-in-leeds-86908-23629414/

12 December 2011: 9:23pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/12/12/scotland-faces-second-battering-with-strong-winds-set-to-return-86908-23629418/

12 December 2011: 7:08pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2011/12/12/gallery-santa-dash-2011-in-glasgow-edinburgh-86908-23629774/

12 December 2011: 7:11pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2011/12/12/royal-mail-expects-christmas-rush-will-ensure-busiest-day-of-the-year-86908-23629825/

12 December 2011: 12:45pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/business-news/2011/12/12/disadvantaged-communities-to-be-boosted-by-175m-regeneration-plans-86908-23629829/

Dec 12 2011

BT’s investment in superfast fibre broadband will see more than 277,000 homes and businesses across Scotland benefit.

The communications company announced today that 34 new exchange areas will be targeted in the next part of its ongoing £2.5 billion investment to take fibre broadband to two-thirds of the UK by 2014.

It includes four exchange areas in Aberdeen, seven in Edinburgh, six in Glasgow and two in Dundee, as well as Alloa, Arbroath, Greenock and Kirkcaldy. The latest upgrades are expected to be completed next year.

BT said the number of homes and businesses in the superfast network will reach 685,500, offering “vastly superior” speeds than previously available in many areas.

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “This is the biggest fibre broadband announcement we’ve made to date in Scotland and almost doubles the number of exchange areas being upgraded.

“It marks a major investment in infrastructure which will give the country a tremendous boost. Next-generation broadband is essential for our nation’s economic growth so it’s brilliant to be ending 2011 on such a high note.

“Superfast broadband will be welcomed by families throughout these 34 areas because it will help improve their quality of life and leisure and open new doors through online learning and fast access to information and services.

“And it’s also going to provide a huge fillip for businesses. At a stroke, small and medium-sized firms will have access to big business speeds at much lower costs, allowing them to find new markets, boost their competitiveness and create new jobs.”

The Openreach network features a mix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology.

FTTC, delivered to street cabinets, offers download speeds of up to 40Mbps with 10Mbps upstream. Openreach said these speeds will “roughly double” next year.

FTTP, where the fibre goes directly to homes and businesses, offers speeds of up to 100Mbps, rising to 300Mbps in the spring.

BT said this compares with the 6.8Mbps average speed of all UK broadband, according to research by the watchdog Ofcom published in July 2011, allowing users to do more online and at the same time.

Infrastructure and Capital Investment Secretary Alex Neil said: “This is more great news for Scottish businesses and households across the country. Access to superfast broadband will help existing business expand, attract new business and will connect communities.

“We have set out our ambition for all of Scotland to have access to next-generation broadband by 2020, with significant progress to be made by 2015. It is an important part of the Scottish Government’s Economic Strategy.

“The majority of investment in next-generation broadband should be led by the private sector and I welcome BT’s plans to extend their superfast network further across Scotland.”

Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/business-news/2011/12/12/over-277-000-scots-homes-to-benefit-from-bt-s-superfast-fibre-broadband-86908-23629832/

Dec 12 2011

A FORMER News of the World investigative journalist revealed at an inquiry into press standards that his work had led to more than 260 “successful criminal prosecutions”.

Mazher Mahmood, who was the defunct newspaper’s investigations editor, told the Leveson Inquiry that his most high-profile inquiry had been into Pakistani cricketers who were subsequently convicted of match-fixing.

Mr Mahmood, who became known for disguising himself as a “fake sheikh” in order to carry out undercover reporting, said he had exposed “criminal and moral wrongdoing” during a 20-year career at the News of the World.

He gave evidence in a room occupied only by lawyers to protect his identity. His words were broadcast to an annex where journalists and members of the public could listen.

Inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson, who is sitting at the Royal Court of Justice in London, said he had made an order allowing Mr Mahmood, who now works for The Sunday Times, to give evidence away from the public gaze for “good reason”.

Mr Mahmood was asked to describe how the checks on his stories at The Sunday Times, where he now works, compare to those at the News of the World.

He said: “It was a lot more informal at the News of the World newspaper but in essence we still had to satisfy the same criteria. But it was a lot less formal – chats with the news desk – there were no meetings.”

He added that the process at The Sunday Times is “a lot more stringent”, but said that at the News of the World he was in “constant touch” with lawyers.

“Everything was discussed with the legal team,” he said. “I couldn’t go off-piste and do what I wanted. I had to take legal advice and throughout the investigation I remained in constant touch with our lawyers.”

Mr Mahmood said that the two main questions to be answered when deciding if a story about a person should be investigated was: “Are they involved in criminality? Are they involved in moral wrongdoing?”

When Lord Leveson asked Mr Mahmood if he believed that if there was a conflict between what he perceived as a famous person’s public persona and the story, then it was worth investigating.

He replied: “If it’s hypocrisy then very much. If they present themselves as wholesome characters and trade on that status then I think it’s totally justified.”

Mr Mahmood said the News of the World had been keen to adhere to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) code of conduct.

“We were always being criticised so we were extremely cautious to comply with the PCC code,” he told the inquiry.

He went on to say that he had been taken off live investigations to respond to PCC complaints.

“In 20 years I didn’t have a single PCC complaint upheld against me,” he said.

Mr Mahmood added: “It was quite a laborious task answering those complaints.” He said that this demonstrated “how seriously we took the PCC code”.

He went on to deny evidence given to the inquiry by Paul McMullan, employed by the now-defunct Sunday tabloid for seven years, that he had worked alongside him.

“This came as news to me,” he said. “I may have seen him in the office. I’ve never worked with the chap. I can’t even recall talking to him. (It is) completely untrue.”

Mr Mahmood also said that media reports that he had commissioned a private detective for his investigations were “simply not true”.

He added that it was a “common misconception” that he engaged in entrapment.

Mr Mahmood also justified investigations against model Sophie Anderton and a woman known as Miss X.

“The primary focus of both those stories was illegality. They were dealing drugs to clients,” he said.

Mr Mahmood said the majority of his stories came from informants who had provided information in the past.

“We would make every possible check where we could before embarking on any investigation,” he said. “A lot of investigations are expensive. They involve quite an investment, so we have to be sure of ourselves.”

He said he was not aware of phone hacking until the arrest of former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman, who was jailed four years ago after admitting intercepting phone messages.

Mr Mahmood said there was “of course” talk in the office following the arrest and added: “All the fingers were pointing at the newsdesk.”

Mr Mahmood insisted he did not “entrap” people.

“It is annoying, this myth of entrapment,” he said. “We don’t entrap people. Frankly, I don’t believe you can entrap people in the manner they suggest.”

Asked about the subject of one investigation, he said the newspaper provided the “environment for him to commit the crime – a crime which he was pre-disposed to commit”.

“These are people who are predisposed to commit these crimes anyway,” he said. “All I am doing is providing a snapshot of what they are doing anyway.

“No matter what the size of the carrot, you cannot entrap people into committing these crimes. However, the public perception is that because they have been offered a huge carrot, that has resulted in the crime taking place.”

Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/12/12/leveson-inquiry-fake-sheikh-journalist-reveals-work-for-news-of-the-world-resulted-in-260-successful-criminal-prosecutions-86908-23629924/

Dec 12 2011

THE lead investigator for the police watchdog inquiry into the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan was forced to admit a “mistake” was made in releasing information he fired at officers first.

At a pre-inquest hearing into the death of the 29-year-old in Tottenham, north London, on August 4, Michael Mansfield QC, representing Mr Duggan’s family, grilled Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigator Colin Sparrow about the lack of information to his relatives so far.

Mr Mansfield told the hearing at North London Coroner’s Court: “My first question is, you appreciate the anxiety that the family have about the investigation?

“And you are aware at least, one of the reasons is the misinformation that was broadcast at the beginning, close to the time Mark Duggan met his death.

“Misinformation suggesting some form of shoot-out, and you accept that was a serious mistake?”

Mr Sparrow replied: “It wasn’t accurate.”

Mr Mansfield added: “It was a mistake, wasn’t it?”

Mr Sparrow said: “It was a mistake.”

Mr Mansfield, who is also representing Mr Duggan’s fiancee Semone Wilson, and a second woman, Precious Douaihy, went on: “The problem for the family is a complete breakdown in confidence for this investigation.

“While normally this question might not have to be asked because confidence is automatic, on this occasion, from the beginning, there has been misinformation, a lack of information, and conflicting information.”

Mr Mansfield asked Mr Sparrow why the family had not been given an interim report made by the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr Duggan.

He said that in all his experience, he had “never come across a situation in which the pathology has not been provided to the family” within a month of the death of their relative.

But Mr Sparrow told the court the report consisted only of a cause of death and it had been given verbally.

Mr Mansfield criticised the fact that Mr Duggan’s family had not even been given information about the trajectory of the bullet that killed him.

This would indicate the position in which he and the firearms officers at the scene would have been standing.

Mr Mansfield also told the court that the family had requested that an independent pathologist carry out tests on Mr Duggan’s body, and for them to be given the chance to discuss their findings with the original pathologist – but this had not been allowed.

The hearing was told that a gun initially linked to Mr Duggan was actually found 14ft away from the crime scene in Ferry Lane, and on the other side of a fence.
Mr Mansfield said witnesses had said they had seen a police officer throw the weapon there.

He asked Mr Sparrow, who was giving evidence from the witness box: “How on earth did the gun get over a fence 14ft away? Was it thrown there by a police officer?”

Mr Sparrow said: “That’s a suggestion, yes.”

Mr Mansfield said that neither Mr Duggan’s blood, DNA or fingerprints were found on the gun.

He asked Mr Sparrow if there was “any conceivable reason” why Mr Duggan’s family could not have been shown the witness statements that claimed this, to which he answered: “I’ll give it my consideration.”

Mr Mansfield accused the IPCC of being “obstructive”, but Mr Sparrow answered that the police watchdog did not feel it was “appropriate” to give Mr Duggan’s family this information while the inquiry is still ongoing.

Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/12/12/inquiry-into-death-of-mark-duggan-reveals-mistake-was-made-reporting-he-shot-at-police-first-86908-23630107/

12 December 2011: 9:27pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/12/12/power-restored-to-homes-affected-by-storms-that-battered-scotland-86908-23630112/

12 December 2011: 9:25pm

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Article source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/12/12/paramedic-pedestrian-hurt-as-emergency-vehicle-crashes-into-paisley-bus-stop-86908-23630183/