Christmas Eve Murder: Police Search Building

Police have searched a property close to where a pensioner and church organist was killed on his way to midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

Alan Greaves, 68, from Sheffield, was found with head injuries on the pavement close to his home on Greengate Lane at around 11.15pm on December 24.

South Yorkshire Police have not said whether the search was related to Mr Greaves' death. An officer was seen leaving the building carrying a handful of bags.

Meanwhile, private prayers were held at St Saviour's Church in High Green, where Mr Greaves, a retired social worker, had been an organist and lay preacher for nine years.

He died on Thursday night surrounded by his family at the city's Northern General Hospital.

Police have launched a murder investigation and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick said it is likely a weapon was used but the motive for the attack is not known.

He called the assault "brutal".

It's not clear whether the search is related to the murder of Alan Greaves

Friends and neighbours have described Mr Greaves as a good and kind man. His wife Maureen, a church community worker, was said to be devastated.

"He was a good man and this was an evil act," said Canon Simon Bessant, who worked closely with Mr Greaves and his wife.

"He was a gentle soul. He wasn't foolish - he would have handled the situation as best as anyone would but we don't know what he encountered."

Mr Bessant said Mr Greaves had been attacked 250 yards from the church and that his family had been at home.

"His wife wants justice but she doesn't want vengeance. She is not embittered but obviously she wants this person to be caught."

Mr Greaves had four adult children and had recently become a grandfather to two twin boys adopted by his daughter in Mozambique.

He and his wife had recently set up a food bank and community project in the area where he was murdered.

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Hector Sants: Ex-FSA Chief Awarded Knighthood

The man tasked with regulating the City in the run-up to the near-collapse of the UK banking system has been knighted in the Queen's New Year Honours.

Former Financial Services Authority (FSA) chief executive Hector Sants has been recognised for services to financial regulation after overseeing sweeping reforms following the nationalisation of Northern Rock and the bailout of major banks.

The knighthood may be seen as a controversial decision, as it was Sir Hector who led the organisation accused by MPs of being "asleep at the wheel" in the run up to the collapse of Northern Rock.

While he was criticised for the FSA's failure to spot and prevent the credit crunch and subsequent banking meltdown, he has since won praise for cleaning up the regulator and for his role in forcing banks to beef up their balance sheets.

Sir Hector said the award was a "testament to the hard work of everyone at the FSA during the crisis, their willingness to learn lessons and to bring about the changes that were necessary".

The 56-year-old had planned to leave his role in February 2010, but was convinced by Chancellor George Osborne to stay on to see through the coalition's break-up of the FSA.

It was thought he would become a deputy governor of the Bank of England and head the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) - one of two new regulatory bodies that will replace the FSA as part of an overhaul in the wake of the financial crisis.

But Sir Hector unexpectedly resigned earlier this year and has courted more controversy, joining scandal-hit Barclays, where he will become the bank's first point of contact for regulators.

He is believed to be in line for a £3m pay package.

The FSA received a mauling from MPs in the wake of the banking crisis and collapse of Northern Rock.

Northern Rock had to be nationalised in 2008, with the Government also having to bail out Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HBOS.

In the aftermath of the crisis, Sir Hector warned the City to "be frightened" as he pledged an era of more intrusive and direct regulation.

He also laid the blame at the door of the US and UK governments for their part in the crisis, saying authorities worldwide sought to "encourage a significant credit boom particularly for the benefit of consumers who wished to purchase housing".

Sir Hector joined the FSA wholesale markets arm from Credit Suisse in 2004. He became chief executive in 2007 - just two months before the run on Northern Rock.

It had been widely expected that Sir Hector would return to the private sector when he resigned from the FSA.

Barclays, which has had its reputation battered following this summer's rate-rigging revelations, has appointed Sir Hector to the newly-created role of head of compliance. He is due to start on January 21.

It is believed he will also play a central role in rewriting the bank's pay and bonus strategy.

Sir Hector is married with three children.

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New Year Honours: Kate Bush Heads Arts Field

Figures from the worlds of music, the sciences and the arts were among those to receive recognition in the New Year Honours.

Illustrator Quentin Blake, best-known for his work in Roald Dahl's children's books, has been awarded a knighthood.

Artist Tracey Emin, choreographer Arlene Phillips and singer-songwriter Kate Bush have all been given CBEs in the list.

Bush said she is "deeply honoured", while former Strictly Come Dancing judge Phillips said: "I am very pleasantly surprised but mostly absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive such a wonderful honour."

Actor Ewan McGregor gets an OBE in the New Year's Honours

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, is given a CBE in recognition of her service to women's issues and to charity in the UK and overseas.

Actor Ewan McGregor - star of Trainspotting - and fashion designer Stella McCartney both get OBEs.

And Professor Peter Higgs, namesake of the Higgs boson or so-called "God particle" - which was finally proved to exist in July - has been awarded a Companion of Honour 48 years after his discovery.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has been awarded a knighthood, while MI5 head Jonathan Evans is made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

Captain Raymond "Jerry" Roberts - one of the four founder members of Bletchley Park's Testery section tasked with breaking the German top-level code Tunny - has been recognised with an MBE.

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Bradley Wiggins Knighted In New Year Honours

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

Britain's gold rush during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games has led to 78 athletes and coaches being named in the New Year Honours List.

Among the top honours are knighthoods for cyclist Bradley Wiggins and yachtsman Ben Ainslie, while Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey becomes a Dame.

Dave Brailsford and David Tanner, the Performance Directors who have ensured that Britain now leads the world in cycling and rowing are also rewarded with knighthoods.

Every British athlete who won a gold medal in the Olympics or Paralympics is included in the list unless they have already been honoured in the past.

Heptathlete and face of London 2012 Jessica Ennis is awarded a CBE

So Sir Chris Hoy, who was knighted after the Beijing Games, is omitted from the list despite adding two more gold medals to his career tally of six.

Somali-born middle-distance runner Mo Farah becomes a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his stunning double gold medal performances in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

He joins four other competitors who become CBEs having previously collected the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) - rower Katherine Grainger, cyclist Victoria Pendleton, heptathlete Jessica Ennis and wheelchair athlete David Weir.

David Weir was also given a CBE after winning four gold medals in London

Sir Bradley admitted to having mixed feelings about receiving a knighthood. Born in Kilburn, he is now almost as famous for his sideburns and Mod image as his cycling exploits.

This was the year he became the first Briton to win the Tour De France, and he also won the Olympic Time Trial title and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

He told Sky News: "It's an incredible honour and it's an incredible thing to have. It's still not something that sits incredibly easily with me, I don't think it's something I'm going to use in daily life.

"(It's) an amazing thing to have in the drawer for my wife my kids and my family. It's topped the year off really."

Dame Sarah Storey first won Paralympic gold as a swimmer, and achieved even greater success when she switched to cycling.

A birth defect means she does not have a left hand, but she also competes against able-bodied cyclists and was pushing for a place in the Olympic squad.

Ben Ainslie was also knighted after winning four gold medals

"I really hope that everybody who's been connected to what I've done feels a part of what has happened," she told Sky News.

"To be honoured in this way - the top gong as you might say - you never even imagine or dream of it. It's just beyond your wildest dreams."

Her boss, Dave Brailsford, becomes Sir Dave after overseeing not just the Olympic triumphs, but the rise of Team Sky as a professional road racing team. Like Sir Bradley he is struggling to adjust to the adulation.

He said: "[It feels] very strange. On the one hand you feel proud and honoured, on the other hand it feels quite humbling really.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds gets an OBE, while Sarah Storey becomes a dame

"It's a recognition for everything that's happened in cycling over a period of time. I'm the lucky one who gets recognised."

Jessica Ennis CBE told Sky News: "It sounds very surreal. It's such an honour.

"When you get involved in sport, and when I started, it certainly wasn't something that I ever thought of, so to now be in this position at 26 and be receiving a CBE is such an honour."

Cyclists Jason Kenny and his girlfriend Laura Trott end 2012 sharing four gold medals and two OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).

Andy Murray gets one not just for his Olympic victory, but also for winning the US Open.

Andy Murray caps his Olympic gold and US Open title with an OBE

Olympic rower Katherine Grainger, double equestrian gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin and paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and paralympic horsewoman Sophie Christiansen add OBEs to the MBEs they collected following winning performances in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Christiansen told Sky News: "As athletes we work towards getting gold medals but this is the icing on the cake to be recognised."

Lord Coe, the mastermind of the Games, becomes a companion of honour, but one notable absentee from the list is film director Danny Boyle, the creator of the opening ceremony.

He appears to be one of the minority who for various reasons decline to be honoured.

London 2012 mastermind Lord Coe becomes a companion of honour

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Ex-England Cricket Captain Tony Greig Dies

Former England cricket captain and television commentator Tony Greig has died at the age of 66 after being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year.

South Africa-born Greig, who played 58 Tests for England, initially developed bronchitis, with further tests showing a lesion at the base of his right lung.

He became synonymous with world cricket as a commentator for Australian television network Channel Nine following his retirement.

"Beloved Tony Greig, former England cricket captain, has passed away today at the age of 66," Channel Nine said in a statement.

"Initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, the condition lingered and testing revealed he had lung cancer."

Greig scored 3,599 Test runs at an average of 40.43 and was also a useful bowler, claiming 141 wickets at an average of 32.20.

He finished playing for England at the age of 30 to take up a position in Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series Cricket competition, where he was one of the star recruits.

The Channel Nine statement continued: "Tony Greig is a name synonymous with Australian cricket - from his playing days as the English captain we loved to hate, to his senior role in the revolution of World Series Cricket ... and more than three decades of colourful and expert commentary.

"To his family and friends we pass on our best wishes."

Greig made his Test debut for England against Australia in 1972, and captained the national team from 1975-1977 after succeeding Mike Denness as skipper.

He lived in Sydney from the late 1970s and commentated on cricket for Channel Nine for 33 years.

Reports in Australia indicated he suffered a heart attack at home and was taken to hospital where attempts to revive him failed.

"He was rushed into St Vincent's hospital. The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail," a hospital spokesman was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

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First-Time Home Buyers 'Up 12% In Past Year'

The past 12 months saw 12% more first-time buyers take the plunge into the property market than in 2011, according to a report by the Halifax.

About 216,000 people got their feet onto the property ladder in 2012, the highest number since the credit crunch began.

But it is still almost half the 402,800 people who bought their first home in 2006.

The average age of a first-time buyer has increased to 30, from 29 a year ago, and the typical deposit required is now 20% - compared with the deposit of around 10% put down in 2007.

Halifax said the rise was due to more mortgages coming on the market.

The number available has increased by around a fifth since a multibillion-pound Government scheme was launched in August to kick-start lending to firms and households.

The Government also recently introduced the NewBuy scheme, which helps people to buy a new-build home with a fraction of the usual deposit.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: "The number of first-time buyers has risen to a five-year high, boosted by the improvement in affordability resulting from the reductions in both house prices and mortgage rates in recent years.

"Conditions for potential first-time buyers, however, remain very difficult with problems raising the necessary deposit and concerns over the economic climate."

He also said that first-time buyers have become increasingly reliant on extra help to give them a push onto the ladder.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) recently estimated that 65% of this sector of the market had financial assistance in mid-2012, compared with 31% seven years earlier.

First-time buyers in London put down the largest average deposit, at £62,356, while those in the north put down the smallest, at £14,936.

The average deposit needed across the UK is £27,984.

The average house price paid by a first-time buyer increased slightly to £139,921 in 2012 - representing a 3% rise compared with 2011.

Related stories

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Abducted Atiya Back With 'Overwhelmed' Mum

Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson is back with her mother in Greater Manchester three years after being abducted by her father and taken to Pakistan.

The six-year-old flew into Manchester Airport on Friday night on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Islamabad accompanied by her uncle.

Speaking after seeing her daughter for the first time since 2009, Gemma Wilkinson said she was "absolutely overwhelmed".

She said: "We've literally gone from not knowing where Atiya is, to then finding out that we do know where Atiya is, to receiving pictures of Atiya and how she looks now, and then to Atiya's coming home and now she's here.

"It's been an absolute whirlwind. It's more than I could ever imagine or hope for."

Sky Correspondent Frazer Maude, in Manchester, said: "It is going to be a very difficult period of readjustment that could take some time.

"She has spent three years living in Pakistan with her extended family, we believe, and she will be returning here to try and relearn a Western way of life.

"These must be very difficult times for her mother as well, the uncertainty as to what reaction she is going to get from her daughter, whether her daughter will even speak the same language when she arrives."

Atiya vanished in 2009 after she was taken to Pakistan by her father

MEP Sajjad Karim, who contacted Pakistan authorities to try and track down Atiya, told Sky News he wished he had known about the case earlier.

He said: "There is nothing that I have done now, that I couldn't have done three and a half years ago."

Mr Karim added that Atiya was located on Christmas Eve and authorities were able to show up-to-date pictures of her to Ms Wilkinson on Christmas Day.

No money changed hands in getting her back, he said.

Atiya vanished in November 2009 after going to stay with her father, Razwan Ali Anjum.

The former insurance salesman said he was taking her to Southport.

Instead he took her to Lahore, Pakistan, and told Ms Wilkinson she was "never going to see Atiya again", courts have heard.

Anjum is serving a prison sentence in Britain for refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts despite a court order.

Ms Wilkinson's "on-off" relationship with Anjum ended in 2008.

Anjum was handed a fourth consecutive jail term by a High Court judge in April after he refused to say where his daughter was.

Mr Justice Moor imposed a 12-month sentence after he found him in contempt of a High Court order instructing him to disclose Atiya's whereabouts.

He said Anjum, in his late 20s, would not be eligible for release until he had served at least six months. He had previously been given one two-year and two 12-month sentences.

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Former Newspaper Editor Lord Rees-Mogg Dies

Lord Rees-Mogg, the former editor of The Times, has died at the age of 84.

As William Rees-Mogg, he was editor from January 1967 to March 1981.

His son, the Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, told the newspaper that the peer had only discovered recently that he had inoperable oesophageal cancer.

"It has been a mercifully short illness. He died very peacefully and a member of his family was with him. He was very prepared for it," he said.

Throughout his journalistic career Lord Rees-Mogg wielded considerable influence in Tory circles, particularly during the Thatcher and Major governments.

He once famously but unsuccessfully challenged the legality of John Major's ratification of the Maastricht Treaty, an action described at the time as being in character - "showy, mischievous, slightly absurd, but with a dash of plausibility".

Later, in an article in The Times, he described Mr Major, the then Prime Minister, as "over-promoted, unfit to govern and lacking self-confidence".

Lord Rees-Mogg received a life peerage in 1988

"His ideal level of political competence would be Deputy Chief Whip or something of that standing," he went on.

Born in Bristol, Lord Rees-Mogg was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, after which he was recruited as a reporter at the Financial Times.

In 1960, he joined the Sunday Times where he was successively City Editor, Political and Economic Editor and Deputy Editor, before becoming Editor in 1967.

During his leadership the newspaper stubbornly defended Richard Nixon against all the Watergate evidence filed by his Washington staff.

But he was a radical editor, making the reporting more investigative and its opinions more challenging.

He received a life peerage in 1988 and sat as a cross-bencher, although he had twice in the 1950s stood for Parliament as a Conservative.

He was also a former vice chairman of the BBC and chairman of the Arts Council.

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Baroness Thatcher To Return Home After Op

Baroness Thatcher is due to leave hospital following an operation to remove a growth in her bladder.

The 87-year-old former prime minister was admitted to hospital on December 19 where she underwent "a minimal invasive operation".

Her daughter Carol was with her.

Sky News' Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said: "She's returning home today, she's going to convalesce at home.

"She spent Christmas in hospital after this operation.

"She is 87-years-old and there have often been concerns about her health but this appears to have gone well. She won't be spending the new year in hospital," he added.

 A spokesman said she was in "good spirits" following the operation.

The veteran politician's public appearances have been restricted in recent years due to continued ill health.

She was unable to join the Queen for a Diamond Jubilee lunch with former and serving prime ministers this summer and missed an 85th birthday party thrown for her at 10 Downing Street.

Baroness Thatcher was the first female prime minister - between 1979 and 1990 - and first female leader of the Conservative Party.

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Forecast Floods May Make 2012 Wettest Ever

Large parts of Britain have been told to prepare for more heavy rain, gales and possible flooding this weekend.

The Environment Agency (EA) said that the west of the UK is expected to take the brunt of further wet weather, with many areas still saturated with water from before Christmas, when floods forced many to flee their homes.

The Met Office forecast heavy rain on Saturday, and then for Sunday into Monday morning.

It has also issued a yellow warning for snow in much of central and northern Scotland, starting in the evening and continuing through mid-day Sunday.

In some areas, 4-6in (10-15 cm) of fresh snow is expected, while winds will be strong and ice could become a danger on some roads.

The EA has issued scores of flood warnings and over 200 flood alerts across the country, with the Midlands, the South East and South West worst affected.

Pete Fox, the EA's flood risk manager, said: "Flooding is devastating at any time of year, but particularly at Christmas. Unfortunately, more heavy rain is forecast for this weekend.

"As a result, we're urging people, particularly those in North Wales and western England, to remain vigilant to flooding.

"We're working around the clock to continue to protect homes and businesses from flooding and there are also things that people can do to protect themselves and their properties.

"If you're driving home this weekend, give yourself extra time to make your journey, check your route before travelling and avoid driving through flood water. Check the risk of flooding for your property and, if you're at risk, move valuable items to safety."

River and groundwater levels are high in many parts of the country

This year is expected to become the soggiest since records began more than a century ago.

According to the Met Office just 1.8in (46mm) of rain is needed to fall before December 31 to make 2012 the wettest on record for the UK overall.

A new record has already been set for England with 43.1in (1,095.8mm) falling between January 1 and Boxing Day.

The UK as a whole had 50.8in (1,291.2mm) of rain from January 1 to December 26. The wettest year on record for the UK is currently 2000, when 52.6in (1,337.3mm) of rain fell.

Warnings and alerts have been commonplace since the end of November when deluges flooded homes across the country, causing rivers to burst their banks and roads to become impassable.

Pockets of the UK have had to endure being cut off temporarily, with homes evacuated and residents forced to seek refuge elsewhere, while the country's public transport system has been brought to its knees.

The recent heavy rain, coupled with late-running engineering work and other problems, has meant a miserable return to work for train travellers since Thursday.

First Great Western said the main line in the South West, which has been closed since before Christmas because of flooding between Exeter St Davids and Tiverton, is expected to reopen later today.

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Gavin Mooney: British Economist Beaten To Death

An eminent British economist and his wife have been murdered at their home in Australia.

Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, and Dr Delys Weston, 62, were found at the property in Tasmania on Wednesday and are thought to have been bludgeoned to death.

The retired Briton was previously the director of the Social and Public Health Economics Research Group in Australia and held a number of senior positions at universities in the country.

He was born in Glasgow in 1943 and graduated from the University of Edinburgh before embarking on a career that saw him hold academic positions in the UK, Denmark and Australia.

He moved to Australia permanently in 1993.

Australian health minister Tanya Plibersek said the deaths were a "tragic loss for the health community, both in Australia and internationally".

She said: "Professor Mooney was a fearless advocate for social justice, and in particular the role of citizen juries, leading debates on the importance of consumers in determining how their health resources are allocated.

"Described as 'one of the founding fathers of health economics', his research was driven by real world challenge and geared towards identifying practical solutions.

"He was an inspiring teacher and supervisor, which when coupled with his extensive publication record, will ensure his legacy persists."

Australian media reports claimed Dr Weston's son has been charged in connection with the deaths and is expected to appear in court in the New Year.

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'Booze Buses' Take Strain On Busy Party Night

By Liz Lane, Sky Reporter

For the first time, four London Ambulance "booze buses" have been put into operation in the capital to cope with one of the busiest party nights of the year.

The specially converted mini buses are equipped to deal with every medical eventuality, and are used to take the strain off emergency services dealing with non alcohol-related 999 incidents.

Paramedic team leader Brian Hayes came up with the idea seven years ago.

He said: "It was purely to deal with the increase in the number of alcohol-related jobs we were receiving in London.

"The pressure on the ambulance service, especially on Friday and Saturday nights deemed it necessary.

"Every chair space and every bed space that we have on this vehicle will be ready for somebody who's intoxicated. We've got the vomit bowls for the obvious."

On a normal Friday night just one bus is in operation. Last night there were two in London's West End, one in the City and one in Camden.

Many are taken to an alcohol recovery centre in Soho, but the more serious cases end up in hospital, as do under-18s.

Brian's team picked up a 17-year-old boy on Park Lane.

He said: "He's been out partying with his friends and he's had too much, basically.

"He can't walk any further so we're going to have to take him up to hospital. He's too young for our walk-in centre."

Last year in the 10 days over Christmas 180 patients were treated at the centre.

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Domestic Abuse Charities May Not Cope At Xmas

By Isabel Webster, West of England Correspondent

Cuts to domestic abuse charities are "putting victims at risk" as organisations warn they are expecting more cases than ever during the festive period.

The Association of Chief Police Officers reports a much higher volume of 999 calls from women over the Christmas holiday.

Gwent Police Chief Constable Carmel Napier said: "Normal life is not going on. The children aren't at school. People aren't at work.

"The expectation of a good time adds pressure and alcohol can be an aggravating factor.

"This combination of factors seems to cause a combustion of tensions that are already there."

According to the charity Refuge, one in four women in England and Wales experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and two women a week die.

Carol, a mother-of-four from Bristol, managed to escape her abusive relationship with the help of the grassroots charity, Survive.

Over several years her partner physically and mentally abused her, sometimes in front of her young children.

"The first night anything happened he just took his belt off and started whipping me. I was so shocked as I'd never seen him violent before," Carol said.

"He hit me with his mobile phone, so hard it left an imprint on my chest. He said he was going to kill me and threatened to throw me out the window - picking me up by my throat. He said he was going to rip my head off.

"But the worst part was the mental abuse. I had to walk behind him, I was timed if I went out to pick up the kids and had to ask permission to leave the room to go to the loo.

"I thought if I just did what I was told, if I was better, I could make it right for everyone, but I was never going to win."

Survive chief exec Anna Smith says charity is under increasing pressure

Carol is now safe and rebuilding her life, but the effect on her and her children remains.

Breaking down in tears, she sobbed: "If I'd known what I know now - what a bad effect it would have on my kids I would have got out sooner.

"I tried to protect them physically but you can't protect someone mentally from what they hear, what they see."

Carol maintains that Survive is the one good thing that came out of her ordeal.

But the charity, which supports women in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, is under growing pressure.

It has seen a 76% increase in high risk cases in the last year.

Over the Christmas period it estimates it will have to turn away 15% of the women and their families who need emergency refuge.

Chief Executive Anna Smith said: "We've been cut, yet we're seeing more women and children than ever.

"I am seriously concerned about it. Vulnerable people won't necessarily be able to get access to the help that they need this Christmas."

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Sadia: Missing Chiswick Schoolgirl Is Well

Police have found a 10-year-old girl from a primary school in West London who had gone missing since Friday.

Sadia Mohamed was well when she was found by police.

Officers had previously said they were increasingly concerned over the welfare of the girl, who had last been seen leaving Southfield Primary School in Southfield Road, Chiswick, at around 4pm.

No other information was immediately available.

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A Middleton Christmas For Kate And William

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to spend Christmas Day privately with the Middleton family, St James' Palace has announced.

Kate and William will break with tradition by not celebrating with the Queen and the rest of the royal family in Sandringham.

The decision will help the couple avoid the public eye and allow Kate to rest as she continues to battle acute morning sickness.

But it will come as a disappointment to royal fans who traditionally turn out to see the family attend church on Christmas morning.

Kate at BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

Last year, Kate and William were a huge draw as they made the walk from Sandringham up to St Mary Magdalene Church for the first time as man and wife.

Staying in Berkshire also means that the Duchess of Cambridge will be within closer reach of King Edward VII hospital in London where she was treated for hyperemesis gravidarum.

The move was made with the approval of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and the couple will visit Sandringham at some point over the holiday.

Prince Harry will also not be at Sandringham this year because he is still serving in Afghanistan.

Kate, 30, is now believed to be close to the end of her first trimester after being forced to go public with her pregnancy early due to her illness.

She spent several days in hospital at the start of December after becoming sick during another weekend with her parents.

Since then, she has been resting at Kensington Palace in central London and cancelled all her scheduled appearances.

The Duchess did manage to recover enough to present the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award to Bradley Wiggins last Sunday.

And she was also seen going to the wider royal Christmas celebrations at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

Experts have warned that she could continue to suffer with severe sickness throughout the pregnancy.

Kate was a big hit in Sandringham on Christmas Day last year

Kate's sister Pippa has given an insight into her Middleton family's festive plans.

Writing in the latest edition of The Spectator magazine, she said Christmas in Bucklebury was likely to be "blissfully calm".

"Home is, happily, where I'll be this year," she said. "The Middletons' Christmas should be blissfully calm. We're good at keeping each other's spirits up."

And she revealed that her father Michael liked to surprise the family by appearing in fancy dress.

"He buys a new costume each year and typically gets a bit carried away - a couple of Christmases ago, he appeared in an inflatable sumo outfit," she wrote.

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Road Tolls Would Be A 'Poll Tax On Wheels'

Introducing further road tolls would be "electoral suicide" and a "poll tax on wheels", motoring campaigners have warned the Government.

Motorists will not stomach any further charges on the cost of driving on top of the already high vehicle tax and the soaring cost of fuel, they cautioned.

And they said that a massive political backlash would be meted out at the polls, if the coalition pushed ahead with proposals to charge drivers to use roads.

A Whitehall feasibility study, which will look at whether it is possible for private companies to own new roads, is due to report in the New Year.

It has also been suggested the coalition's mid-term review will include reforms allowing private firms to charge motorists to use new major roads.

The Department for Transport insisted that it was not considering breaching a commitment to restrict tolls to new major roads or those upgraded "literally beyond all recognition".

Peter Roberts of the Alliance of British Drivers said there would be a massive backlash from voters - pointing to his 2007 petition against nationwide road pricing which attracted 1.3 million signatures.

Road tolls are levied on the M6 at Birmingham

"I think people have made their views on road tolling, road pricing, very very clear. I think it would be electoral suicide...kind of like the poll tax on wheels.

"Most drivers already believe they are paying too much for the roads," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

AA president Edmund King said: "Drivers don't like paying more taxes, but our research suggests they don't want the roads privatised or have to pay tolls and access charges."

He added: "The Government needs to go back to the drawing board or they could end up with a poll tax on wheels."

Robert Oxley, campaign manager of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "Hard-pressed motorists are already over taxed.

"Introducing new toll charges to use part of Britain's road network would create a two tier system where only the drivers who can afford it would get access to the motorways while the rest of us are stuck on the back roads."

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British Boy Dies Hiking In Australian Bush

A 14-year-old Scottish boy has reportedly died from heat exhaustion after collapsing during a hike with his father in Western Australia.

Local news reports have quoted police as saying the two were hiking in the Cape Range National Park, south of Exmouth, on Friday when the boy collapsed to the ground.

Police say the father and son were not carrying a great deal of water, according to Australian TV ABC.

Temperatures in the region were well above 40C (104 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time, police said, urging tourists to carry plenty of water when hiking in such conditions.

The boy's father called emergency services, and police located the pair around 700 metres down a gully and not far from a car park, according to the reports.

The boy was treated on the track before being transferred to Exmouth Hospital, where he later died.

The boy's father is a 49-year-old man from Geraldton, in Western Australia's mid-west, the reports said.

A police spokeswoman told The West Australian: "It is a known path and bush track.

"They were not lost. It is not suspicious. It is just a tragic accident."

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Shoppers Queue For Start Of Christmas Rush

By Tadhg Enright, Business Correspondent

Shoppers queued outside stores and car parks were full to capacity at malls across the country on the last full shopping day before Christmas eve.

Today is forecast to be the busiest day of the year in shopping malls and on the high street with customers spending an estimated £2.6m a minute.

The British Retail Consortium expects between £4bn and £5bn to be spent throughout this weekend.

At the Westfield Derby shopping centre, Richard Thornton, marketing and communications manager, said: "It is extremely busy, much busier than it usually is for this time on a weekend and the car parks were extremely busy when I was coming in this morning.

"We're open from 9am until 7pm, and we had about 50 people queuing outside the Pandora jewellery store before it opened this morning."

Peter Beagley, general manager at Glasgow's Braehead shopping centre, said shoppers were queuing outside stores before they opened at 9am.

He said: "By 10am our car parks were full and we had staff on duty directing cars to spaces when they became available."

A spokesman at Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre predicted that 120,000 to 130,000 shoppers will pass through the doors today.

"Meadowhall, as expected, is busy," a spokesman said. "It's not mayhem but it is very busy."

Sales at Brent Cross Shopping Centre could be the busiest yet

Tom Nathan, Brent Cross shopping centre manager, said the next four days were likely to be "enormous for us in terms of sales".

He said that gloves and scarves were flying off the shelves. Headphones which double as earmuffs were selling at the rate of one pair every seven minutes.

But the Local Government Association said confidence on the high street remained low.

Its annual Christmas survey found that 84% of town centre managers said confidence among shoppers had either not improved or worsened compared with this time last year.

It also suggested that the particularly cold and wet start to the winter could also be taking its toll on the number of shoppers visiting town centres.

Normally the busiest day of the year is December 23 - the last day before Christmas Eve - but this year that falls on a Sunday when trading hours for bigger shops are restricted by law to just six hours.

Big name retailers including John Lewis, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer failed in a bid to convince the Government to relax the restrictions on Sunday trading tomorrow.

M&S has responded by opening more than 100 of its stores at 12.01am on Christmas Eve morning to help shoppers get their Christmas essentials in time.

An M&S spokesman said: "We know that the days leading up to Christmas are some of the most hectic for our customers.

"Due to Sunday trading rules, we can only open for six hours on one of the busiest days of the year.

"We hope that these early bird hours on Monday will ease the pressure and give busy shoppers a bit more time to pick up Christmas food orders or last minute presents."

Waitrose, part of John Lewis, will also extend Christmas Eve trading hours in two thirds of its supermarkets by opening an hour earlier at 7am and closing an hour later at 6pm.

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Royal Prank Call: CPS To Consider Charges

Lawyers are now deciding whether to bring charges over the prank call to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was treated.

A nurse working at the King Edward VII Hospital, where the Duchess was suffering from severe morning sickness, killed herself after being duped by the hoax by two Australian radio presenters.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, transferred the call from the DJs pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles to the ward where the Duchess was being treated. Another nurse gave them details of her condition.

Ms Saldanha, a mother-of-two, was found dead in nurses accommodation just three days later on December 7. She had hanged herself.

Jacintha Saldanha and her husband Ben Barboza

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will now consider whether any potential criminal offences may have been committed, Scotland Yard said.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Following the death of Jacintha Saldanha, officers have liaised with the CPS as to whether any criminal offences had been committed in relation to the hoax call made to King Edward VII Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday December 4.

"On Wednesday December 19, officers submitted a file to the CPS for them to consider whether any potential offences may have been committed by making the hoax call."

About 2,000 people turned out for the funeral of Ms Saldanha earlier this week in the small Indian town of Shirva, near Mangalore, where her husband Ben Barboza was born.

Mr Barboza and the couple's two children, Lisha, 14, and Junal, 16, have said that her death has left them "shattered" and her loss has left an "unfillable void".

Ms Saldanha left three notes, the opening of an inquest into her death has heard. It has been reported that one was critical of the hospital and its treatment of her.

The Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig have had death threats

However, officials at the hospital have insisted that they offered her a great deal of support during the fall-out from the hoax and did not criticise her or discipline her.

In a letter to the MP Keith Vaz, who has been supporting the family, John Lofthouse, the Chief Executive of King Edward VII Hospital, said: "Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick."

Following the death of Ms Saldanha, the two DJ's Mel Greig and Michael Christian and other staff at the radio station 2DayFM received death threats.

As many as a dozen staff were moved to safe houses while executives at the broadcaster were given bodyguards.

Miss Greig and Mr Christian gave a television interview apologising to Ms Saldanha's family and saying they too were shattered.

They said their prank had prompted "a tragic turn of events no-one could have predicted or expected".

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), the parent company of 2Day FM, has ended the DJs' Hot 30 show and suspended prank calls across the company in the wake of Ms Saldanha's death.

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Weather: Floods Bring Christmas Misery

Families preparing for Christmas have been hit by floods and travel chaos as heavy rain batters Britain.

The southwest of England has been particularly badly affected by the downpours and three severe flood warnings - which means there is a danger to life - were issued in Devon and Cornwall.

Conditions are so bad that rail passengers have been told to avoid parts of southwest England and South Wales.

And motorists and shoppers faced difficult conditions on one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel and shopping.

The town of Braunton in north Devon has been effectively cut off, with homes and shops under water, after the River Caen burst its banks.

Liz Spear, chairman of Braunton Parish Council, said a river was running through the centre of the town.

"It's really bad. We had flooding seven years ago but it was nothing like this," she said.

Floods in Helston, Cornwall, led to homes being evacuated

Some residents in Helston, Cornwall, were evacuated overnight after river levels rose.

In Lostwithiel around 195 people were advised to leave their homes, and a rest area was set up in the Community Centre.

Cornwall Council spokeswoman Trisha Hewitt said:  "As this is falling on saturated ground, this could cause further flooding."

The Environment Agency has issued 126 flood warnings - where flooding is expected - across the whole of England and Wales, and 338 flood alerts, where flooding is possible.

There was a heightened flood risk across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West and East Sussex, North Yorkshire, South Wales, Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

In Scotland, 17 flood warnings - mostly in Tayside - and 15 flood warnings were issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Met Office released amber weather warnings, which mean "be prepared", for heavy rain and strong winds across south-west England, Yorkshire and Humber, Wales, central Scotland and the Grampians until Sunday morning.

Sky News Weather Presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said heavy rain was forecast to continue across much of the country.

Flood-hit streets in York

"We're going to continue with bits and pieces of rain over south-western parts of England for the rest of today," she said.

"That main rain from Saturday morning is moving north and eastwards - so there will be some heavy downpours in Scotland and northern England.

The water has already led to major issues on road and train networks, spelling trouble for Britons travelling this weekend.

The First Great Western train company advised passengers whose travel was not essential to avoid any journeys west of Taunton in Somerset because of flooding and landslips.

Arriva Trains Wales told passengers to avoid any rail travel in South Wales. Both operators were using road vehicles to transport passengers, but efforts were hampered by a lack of vehicles and flooded roads.

Meanwhile, staff shortages and signalling problems caused disruption on London Midland services. Buses replaced trains on some routes, while passengers were warned of possible cancellations at short notice.

Mark Ridge, landlord of The London Inn in Braunton, only moved into the pub seven months ago with his family and had spent £90,000 on renovation work.

A man wading through Braunton, Devon

"We were hoping this weekend would be our bumper weekend, to carry us through January, February, trade wise, but it's just killed it now," he said.

Annette Essex, who owns a pet shop in Braunton, said: "Suddenly at 6am the banks of one of the rivers broke and the water came flooding down Caen Street and into the high street and we were under about 3ft of water in our store area.

"It was like a torrent of water. It was quite scary because you could hear the swish of the water and the whole road just turned into a river in the space of about 30-40 minutes."

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Missing Girl: Police Say Fears Are Growing

Police are appealing for information about a teenage girl who has been missing for five weeks.

They say concern is growing for the safety of 14-year-old Shelley Pratt from Croydon in Surrey.

Detectives have released new CCTV images which show her walking with a young black man along Croydon High Street just after midnight on Friday, November 9.

She is wearing her school uniform trousers and a hooded jumper with the slogan 'I love (heart symbol) London'.

Minutes later, police believe Shelly's Oyster card was used to board a route 60 bus heading towards Coulsdon.

The day before Shelley got off a 196 bus outside Harris Academy in South Norwood, Croydon, and walked south with a girl and a boy.

She was later spotted around 9.30pm on CCTV at George Street tram stop in Croydon town centre.

CCTV image of Shelley in Croydon High Street

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne said: "It has now been five weeks since Shelley went missing and concerns for her safety and welfare, especially in this extremely cold weather, are heightened.

"Shelley has had absolutely no contact with friends or family since her disappearance and it is possible that she may be with someone, perhaps in a house or a flat.

"I am encouraging people, particularly Croydon residents, to look closely at the image of the young man seen next to her.

"Do you recognise him or see him moments before approaching Shelley, talking to a number of passing girls on the opposite pavement, clearly trying to get their attention?"

Shelley's parents have urged her to get in touch

Shelley, who is described as white and around 5ft 6in or 5ft 7in tall with long brown hair, has gone missing twice before but not for so long.

Her parents, Lisa and Tony Pratt, have begged her to come home in time for Christmas.

They said: "Shellz, please get in touch with us, we are desperate to hear your voice and know that you are safe and well.

"You're not in trouble. We love you and we miss you and just want you home, without you there will be no Christmas.

"Your presents are under the tree waiting for you. We are all missing you like mad. We love you - please, please come home."

Anyone with information is urged to call the Metropolitan Police incident room on 020 8721 4906.

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Jamie Theakston Gets Phone Hacking Damages

Jamie Theakston, Jeff Brazier and Colin Stagg are among the latest names to settle their damages actions over phone hacking.

The presenter, the boyfriend of the late Jade Goody and the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell are among 22 claimants to have recently accepted offers of substantial damages from News Group Newspapers, the High Court has been told.

Others among the group are Lisa Brash, former girlfriend of Robbie Williams, golfer Colin Montgomerie's ex-wife Eimear Cook, and Major David Brooks, a relative by marriage of Mr Justice Vos, the judge presiding over the litigation.

The announcement came during the latest in a series of case management conferences ahead of a hearing next June, when compensation is to be assessed in any claims outstanding in this second wave of the litigation.

Hugh Tomlinson QC said it was likely that there would be a number of other settlements before the end of the year.

"It is also right to say that there will remain a substantial number of claims going forward."

In October, it was said that 167 claims were currently on the register.

The court is due to sit again on Monday to consider the publisher's attempt to strike out the claim brought by Mary-Ellen Field, former adviser to model Elle Macpherson, on the basis that no phone interception took place.

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Eva Rausing Died Of Drugs Dependency

Multimillionairess Eva Rausing died as a result of dependent drug abuse, an inquest has ruled.

The 48-year-old's body lay undiscovered for two months before she was found at the £5m west London home she shared with her husband Hans, heir to the Tetra Pak fortune.

Eva Rausing as a teenager

She was found in a fly-filled room hidden under a pile of bedding with a foil pipe in her hand, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

Police found the mother-of-four's body in an advanced state of decomposition after they had arrested Hans Rausing on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on July 9.

He was given two suspended sentences in August after admitting preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife's body.

A post-mortem found his wife had died on May 7 and had drugs in her system. Toxicology reports showed cocaine, opiates and amphetamines in her blood.

She had been fitted with a pacemaker following heart surgery in August 2006, which revealed she had suffered a "non-survivable" heart rhythm on the morning of May 7.

Deputy coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said Mrs Rausing died as a result of cocaine intoxication contributed to by a heart condition - tricuspid valve disease.

Delivering her verdict, she said: "Mrs Rausing's death was as a result of the dependent abuse of drugs."

Hans and Eva Rausing on their wedding day

The inquest heard that her pacemaker recorded heartbeats up to 384 beats per minute on the calculated day of her death. The normal rate is 65.

Pathologists found no signs of violence on Mrs Rausing's body.

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Rausing said he had been left devastated by the death of his "beloved wife".

He explained how he discovered Mrs Rausing after hearing her slide off the bed while he was in the bathroom.

"She landed sideways and her head was resting on a pillow," Mr Rausing said. "I tried to pull her up. I shouted 'Eva, Eva, Eva'."

Mrs Rausing was caught with drugs at the US Embassy in London

Mr Rausing said he could see his wife's eyes dim before covering her lifeless body with duvets and bedding.

"I could not cope with her dying or confront the reality of her death," he added.

An investigating officer told the court how Hans Rausing lied to his housekeepers after his wife died, saying she was in the US.

The couple lived a reclusive life on the second floor of their home. Housemaids were not allowed into certain areas. The hearing was told that staff noticed Hans Rausing had stopped sleeping in his bedroom and had started eating downstairs.

The couple had fought a public battle against addiction to drugs.

In 2008 police launched an investigation after Mrs Rausing was caught with drugs as she tried to enter the US Embassy in London for a function.

Subsequent searches of her car and the couple's Georgian townhouse uncovered huge quantities of class A drugs.

They faced drug charges but were given conditional cautions instead, meaning the hearings did not go ahead.

Hans Rausing's parents and siblings said then they were supporting the pair as they fought to overcome drug addiction.

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Hacker Gary McKinnon Faces No Further Action

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon will face no further criminal action, the Director of Public Prosecutions has announced.

The decision follows a review of the case after the Government's decision to block his extradition to the US in October on health grounds.

Mr McKinnon, 46, from Wood Green, north London, would have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted in the US of alleged breaches of US military and Nasa networks.

Prosecutors had to decide whether Mr McKinnon should be tried in Britain over the allegations but said the appropriate place for trial would have been the US. That means no further charges will be levelled.

Mr McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, was permitted to stay in the UK after medical reports showed he was very likely to try to kill himself if extradited.

Both Prime Minister David Cameron, who held talks on the case with US President Barack Obama, and his deputy, Nick Clegg, had condemned plans to send him to the US.

However, the decision not to extradite "disappointed" the US authorities.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, said: "Following discussions between the US Department of Justice, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in the autumn of 2002, a decision was taken that the appropriate place for Mr McKinnon to be tried was the United States."

As a result, the US sought Mr McKinnon's extradition for trial in the US.

The decision that any trial should be held in the US was affirmed in 2009 and subsequently challenged in the High Court, and that challenge failed, Mr Starmer said.

"So far as the evidence is concerned, the position in 2012 is the same as it was in 2002."

Mr McKinnon's lawyer Karen Todner said: "I have mixed feelings about this. I am pleased he is not going to be prosecuted because I wouldn't want to think he would ever spend any time in prison given his mental situation.

"But I am disappointed because the extradition warrant is still outstanding because he can't travel anywhere outside of the UK and will have this hanging over him until it's resolved.

"We have discussed approaching President Obama and asking for a pardon."

Mr McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, said the announcement was "just wonderful".

She added that a pardon from the US was possible because Mr Obama "seems like a good person and so does his wife".

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Connors Family Found Guilty Of Forced Labour

Five members of the same traveller family who made their staff perform humiliating tasks have been found guilty of forced labour.

William Connors, 52, his wife Mary, 48, their sons John, 29, and James, 20, and their son-in-law Miles Connors, 24, were all convicted of conspiracy to require a person to perform forced or compulsory labour between April 2010 and March 2011.

Bristol Crown Court heard how the Connors would pick up the men - many of whom were homeless or drug addicts - to work for them as labourers.

Jurors were told the victims lived in squalid caravans on traveller sites as they moved around the country working on the Connors' paving and patio businesses.

Prosecutors said the men were paid as little as £5 a day for their work, which included emptying the buckets used as toilets by their bosses, and were forced to scavenge from dustbins for food.

The inside of a caravan occupied by two people who worked for the Connors

Some workers were beaten with broom handles, belts, a rake and a shovel, and one had a hosepipe forced down his throat, it was claimed.

By contrast, the court heard, their employers lived in large, well-equipped caravans, enjoyed holidays in Dubai, Mexico and the Caribbean and drove luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes A-Class and a Mini convertible.

Prosecutor Christopher Quinlan QC said: "It was a clear and unequivocal demonstration of control and dominance of one set - the family - over another.

"If you compare and contrast the lifestyles of the workers and bosses it is like comparing a Maserati with a clapped-out Zephyr."

Police began investigating the Connors following the discovery of a worker's decomposed body in a garden shed close to one of the family's caravan sites.

A fellow worker contacted officers in 2009 to say he had been recruited by William and Mary while living on the streets of Cheltenham.

He told detectives he had his identity documents taken from him, was rarely paid, received little food and lived with other workers in the same situation.

When the Connors family was placed under covert surveillance the following year, police recorded evidence of the men being assaulted.

Caravan sites in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire were raided in March 2011 and 19 men were rescued.

The Connors said their workers were "free agents" who were able to come and go as they pleased.

William and Mary insisted they were "good Samaritans" who provided vulnerable people with food, work and accommodation.

All five defendants had faced a second charge of conspiracy to hold another person in servitude but the judge ordered the jury to find them not guilty of that offence.

They are due to be sentenced on Monday.

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Man Arrested Over Bus Attack In Ipswich

A man has been arrested after a passenger was shoved off a bus in Ipswich, leaving him with a serious head injury.

It happened as the man, who is now fighting for his life in hospital, was travelling on a number 10 bus on Thursday evening.

Just after 6pm it stopped in Defoe Road near to the junction with Macauley Road and as he went to get off he was pushed.

It caused him to fall backwards and hit his head, leaving him unconscious.

The passenger, who is in his 60s, was taken to Ipswich Hospital where he is said to be in a critical condition.

On Friday morning, a 26-year-old local man was detained and taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

Earlier, police said three males were involved in the pushing incident and that they ran off into Macauley Road.

All three are described as white, of medium build, around 5ft 7in or 5ft 8in tall and in their late 20s.

One was said to be wearing a woolly hat and a grey bomber jacket, while another wore a grey hoodie under a jacket.

Police have impounded the bus and are reviewing CCTV footage. Officers have also been speaking to other passengers and local residents.

Malcolm Robson, the managing director of Ipswich Buses, said the firm was "very concerned" about the incident.

He told the Ipswich Star: "Our driver is back at work this morning and is very upset about it and we hope (the victim) makes a full recovery.

"We're doing what we can with witness statements and providing CCTV footage and are just helping the police in any way we can."

Anyone with information that could help police is asked to contact Ipswich CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Witches Coven: Child Sex Abuse Pair Jailed

Two men have been jailed for a total of 32 years after sexually abusing several children as part of a witches' coven in Cornwall during the 1970s.

Peter Petrauske, 72, and Jack Kemp, 69, were said to have donned ceremonial robes and pagan paraphernalia before abusing young girls.

Police believe one of their victims may have been as young as three.

During the three-week trial at Truro Crown Court, sex abuse victims said they were given money and sweets to buy their silence.

Petrauske, who described himself as the high priest of a white witches' coven in St Ives, Cornwall, was convicted of one count of rape, one count of aiding and abetting an attempt to rape, and one count of indecent assault, all by unanimous verdict.

Kemp was unanimously found guilty of indecent assault and indecency with a child, as well as seven other sexual offences by a majority verdict.

Jailing Kemp for 14 years and Petrauske for 18, Judge Graham Cottle told them: "The offences range from the extremely serious to the truly horrifying.

"(The trial) has featured ritualistic, sickening abuse of young, young children.

"The scars left are so obvious that it would seem extremely unlikely that either of them have any real prospect of recovery."

The child abuse was only investigated further by police last year when Kemp was arrested in connection with another incident, causing rumours to spread around his home town of Falmouth and prompting the alleged victims of the historic offences to contact detectives.

Petrauske was backed up by female members of the coven who said that, while children were occasionally present, nudity never played a part in the ceremonies.

One female friend also described him as "a gentleman".

Kemp denied any involvement in paganism, saying it "wasn't his cup of tea", and said he was the victim of a bizarre conspiracy.

He said the girls were wrong to name him in the case.

Witnesses also named murdered pagan Peter Solheim and notorious Cornish paedophile Stan Pirie as among their abusers.

Solheim was a 56-year-old parish councillor whose body was found five miles off the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, by fishermen on June 18, 2004. He had been drugged and mutilated with a machete or an axe.

Kemp was cleared of five charges, while Petrauske was also found not guilty of one count.

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Charities Fear For Survival As Donations Drop

One in six UK charities fear they could be forced to close next year because of a drop in donations and funding.

Nearly half of organisations have used reserve funds to cover shortfalls in income, while a quarter have cut staff to stay afloat, according to figures released by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

It also found that public donations to charities are down 20%.

Wozzy Brewster launched the Midi Music Company in Deptford, London, 18 years ago to provide a space where children could be inspired and get into music.

This year, the charity has slashed two staff posts and cut back on its work with poorer families and young people in nearby Lewisham.

"Small charities like ours, in the middle of areas where gang warfare is going on, are in need of far greater donations," Ms Brewster told Sky News.

"At the moment, we are still short of £10,000 for this financial year. If we don't achieve that it will just add to our accumulating deficit."

The figures were released as Lynne Featherstone, the Government's aid minister, called for charities to be more self-sufficient and not rely on Government handouts.

However, Rhodri Davies, policy manager at the CAF, said: "The majority of charities in the UK get no money from Government, never have done and will probably never look to.

"We're realistic; money from Government has been cut back, there's public spending cuts across the board and charities have to bear their share of that.

"But what we're saying is that where Government and local authorities do make cuts to public spending, they shouldn't just disproportionately load those onto charities."

Three years ago, Toby Ord launched a website called Giving What We Can, with the aim of making it easier for people to donate to charities through their salary.

So far, 250 people have pledged at least 10% of their pay to good causes.

"If people think about doing this early enough, they could donate more than £100,000 in their lifetime," Mr Ord said.

Charities minister Nick Hurd suggested that everyone should attempt to give 1% of their annual wage to charity to help stop the decline in donations.

The CAF has also launched its Back Britain's Charities campaign, which calls on the Government, businesses and individuals to get behind the nation's charitable organisations.

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Norovirus: Hospitals Shut Doors To Visitors

Hospitals across the country are closing their doors to visitors because of outbreaks of the winter vomiting bug norovirus.

Birmingham City Hospital has asked visitors to stay away after closing four wards while at Maidstone Hospital in Kent three wards have closed to new admissions and visitors have been banned from all wards.

The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton has shut one ward, partially closed three wards and is turning away visitors. Five hospitals in Wales are also closed to visitors.

The number of cases of the winter vomiting bug is up 72 per cent on this time last year, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

This season 2,630 cases have been recorded, at the same time last year, just 1,533 had been noted.

However, the HPA admits that for every confirmed case there are likely to be a further 288 unreported sufferers, which means some 750,000 people could have been struck down by the bug across the country.

Norovirus is a highly contagious bug and spreads quickly in close environments such as hospitals and schools.

The symptoms include sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, which usually last for around two days.

Good hygiene is key to stopping the spread of norovirus

Professor John Oxford, a biologist at Queen Mary's College and chairman of the International Hygiene Council, said the best way to avoid the virus is to keep away from people who have it.

He told Sky News: "We don't really know why norovirus pops up its head at this time of year. All we know is that it does with some regularity more or less at the same time as influenza.

"It could be that the winter conditions drive us indoors, we are more close together, and a virus like noro depends on closeness and also lack of hygiene.

"And I must say in the United Kingdom and around Europe There is a lack of hygiene that give the virus an opportunity to start jumping from person to person."

John Harris, an expert in norovirus at the HPA, said: "People should be vigilant in their hygiene and we would like to remind anyone who has typical symptoms suggestive of norovirus infection to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes."

It comes as the P&O cruise ship Azura docked in Southampton carrying 3,059 passengers after an outbreak of the virus on board.

The ship had been on an 11-night cruise of the Iberian peninsular. P&O confirmed there had been 10 cases and those passengers had been confined to their cabins to prevent its spread.

Some 300 people on one of the company's other ships, Oriana, were hit by the virus during a cruise earlier in the week.

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Royal Prank Call Nurse's Family 'Shattered'

The children of a nurse found dead days after taking a prank call say they are "shattered" by their loss.

Jacintha Saldanha was discovered in a nurses' accommodation block close to King Edward VII's Hospital, London, where the Duchess of Cambridge was treated for severe morning sickness.

The 46-year-old answered a phone call from Australian radio presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig, who pretended to be Prince Charles and the Queen and asked for an update on the duchess' health.

Jacintha Saldanha worked at the hospital where Kate was treated

A service for Ms Saldanha, a mother-of-two, was held at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.

Outside, her daughter Lisha said: "We will miss your laughter, the loving memories and the good times we had together.

"We are shattered and there is an unfillable void in our lives.

"We love you mum. Sleep in peace and please watch over us until we meet again in heaven."

Benedict Barboza read a tribute to his wife, Jacintha Saldanha

Ms Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza said his wife was "the light of my darkness who always showed me the way forward".

"From the day we met, you always stood by me, in times of hardship and happiness," he said.

"Nineteen years of togetherness, with a strong bond of affection and understanding, will be cherished forever in my life."

Mr Barboza's son Junal added: "In times of difficulty, you showed us the way forward to happiness and success."

On Friday, John Lofthouse, chief executive of King Edward VII's Hospital, said staff had stood by Ms Saldanha and insisted the nurse was the "victim of a cruel trick".

Writing in reply to a letter sent by Keith Vaz MP, Mr Lofthouse said: "Jacintha believed that the call was genuine, and she felt it appropriate to put the call through. We stand by her judgement.

Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig made the prank phone call

"Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick."

Ms Saldanha's funeral will be held at a church in India on Monday.

An inquest into her death, which opened on Thursday, heard Ms Saldanha had hanged herself. She left two notes in her room and another among her personal possessions.

A provisional date of March 26 has been set for the next inquest hearing.

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Snow Alert: Cold Weather 'Beast' To Hit UK

Next Week's Weather In Detail

Updated: 5:53pm UK, Friday 07 December 2012

By Joanna Robinson, weather producer

The first week of December has been a rather chilly one, reminding us that meteorologically speaking we are now in the winter season.

There has been snow in places too, mainly over northern parts of the UK, particularly the Scottish hills and the Pennines.

South-east England has seen a little snow at times too, including this morning.

It's not unusual to see snow in December; in fact, on average the UK will see snowfall on around five days through the month. 

Although the weekend looks to be a little milder, computer models have been hinting, for some time now, that next week will be even colder.

High pressure looks to build across northern parts of Europe, called a blocking high. Its exact position will determine how cold it will get and where it will snow.

There's now much more confidence that a north-easterly flow will bring cold air to the UK next week, but snowfall details are much more uncertain at this point.

Initially, North Sea coastal counties will have the greatest risk of wintry showers, even at low levels.

There's a chance of some significant, disruptive snow across parts of eastern Scotland and eastern England.

Many central and western parts of the UK will start the week dry, but there's a chance of something wintry later.  

Temperatures will continue to fall through the week and will struggle to reach 2C by Thursday - and it'll feel even colder in the wind.

Expect severe overnight frosts too, with a continuing risk of ice. Rural areas will see temperatures plummet, particularly where there's any lying snow.

By the middle of December, computer models diverge. Some keep the cold wintry theme going, while others bring in mild and unsettled conditions.

You don't have to look too far back in the records to find a cold December. In 2010, the UK had its coldest December in over 100 years, whereas 2011 saw the mildest December since 2006.

The cold spell expected next week isn't likely to be as severe as that seen in December 2010, when Altnaharra recorded a minimum temperature of -21.3C.

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Tia Sharp's Grandmother Won't Face Charges

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The grandmother of Tia Sharp, who was questioned over the 12-year-old's murder, will face no further action.

Christine Sharp was arrested in August after her granddaughter's body was discovered in the loft of her home in New Addington, south London.

The 46-year-old was questioned by police on suspicion of murder and bailed while inquiries continued.

Tia Sharp's body was found a week after the youngster was reported missing

The Metropolitan Police has now confirmed that she will face no further action.

The disappearance of schoolgirl Tia sparked a huge search around the Croydon area with family members leading the campaign.

Police officers had previously visited Christine Sharp's home, but it was only days into the search that Tia's body was discovered hidden in the loft.

Stuart Hazell has been charged with Tia's murder and has been remanded in custody ahead of a trial scheduled for early 2013.

Another man, a 39-year-old neighbour, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, remains on police bail until mid-December.

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Ched Evans' Cousin: No Apology For Rape Tweet

A teenager who named a rape victim on Twitter has refused to apologise and said paying her compensation was "the last thing" she wanted to do.

The victim's name was circulated on the social networking site and on Facebook after footballer Ched Evans was convicted of raping her in April.

Evans' cousin, Gemma Thomas, and eight other defendants were each ordered to pay the victim £624 after they admitted revealing her identity.

Rape victims are entitled to lifelong anonymity by law, unless they agree to waive their anonymity.

Tweets sent by Thomas, 18, accused the victim of "money-grabbing" and "ruining lives".

Footballer Ched Evans was jailed in April

In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, she said she regretted her actions but continued to stand by her cousin.

Thomas, from Rhyl, North Wales, said she initially thought the punishment was a fine, and "couldn't believe it" when her solicitor explained it was compensation.

Asked why, she said: "Because it's the last thing I wanted to do, pay her compensation.

"I understand it's against the law and I wouldn't have minded having a big fine because I understand what I did was wrong, but it's the fact that it's compensation and it's just... it's hard thinking that I've got to pay compensation, knowing that I know my cousin is innocent."

Asked whether she would apologise directly to Evans' victim, Thomas added: "I don't know. No."

In April, Evans, who played for Sheffield United and Wales, was found guilty by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in Rhyl.

The player admitted having sex with her but claimed it was consensual. The prosecution said she was too drunk to consent.

Evans, 23, originally from St Asaph, Denbighshire, and now of Penistone, South Yorkshire, was jailed for five years.

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British Scientists To Explore Lost Antarctic Lake

Lake Ellsworth Ice Mission Q&A

Updated: 7:42am UK, Saturday 08 December 2012

As the scientists prepare to start drilling, Sky's Thomas Moore answers the key questions about the project.

Where is Lake Ellsworth?

The lake is under the West Antarctic ice sheet, 70km west of the Ellsworth Mountains.

Seismic studies suggest it is approximately 150m deep and is roughly the same size as Windermere.

There are over 360 sub-glacial lakes known to exist below Antarctica's vast ice sheet.

How remote is it?

The team has travelled 16,000km to reach Lake Ellsworth, flying first to the southern tip of Chile and then on to the drilling site in a smaller aircraft that is able to land on ice. In all, the flight time was five days.

Equipment was air-freighted to a runway on the Union Glacier and then hauled by tractor train 280km through the Ellsworth mountain range.

What are living conditions like?

The team will spend six weeks at the camp. Outside the wind-chill can dip to minus 70 degrees Celsius.

They will sleep in four-man clam tents. In the 24-hour daylight of the Antarctic summer, temperatures inside are generally between four and 20 degrees.

A larger tent serves as a kitchen, dining area and office.

A chef provides freshly-cooked food - even bread.

How will the engineers drill through the ice?

The team had to design a sophisticated hot-water drilling rig that could bore through the ice without contaminating the pristine waters of the lake.

Around 90,000 litres of water will be heated to 90 degrees Celsius by a 1.5 MW boiler and pumped at high pressure through a 3.2km continuous hose that has been made to support its own weight and the heavy drill head.

The drill should melt a 36cm borehole through the 3km of ice in around 100 hours.

Once drilling starts there is no turning back - the water in the hose would quickly freeze.

And then?

Once they breakthrough into the lake, scientists will drop down a titanium probe to sample the water at various depths. Built by the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, it contains 3,000 individual components.

Then they will use a highly specialised sediment corer to take a 3m column of the lake-bed.

The equipment has been sterilised to space-industry standards using hydrogen peroxide vapour to prevent surface microbes contaminating the lake.

All this has to be done within 24 hours or the borehole will be too narrow to retrieve the samples

Won't the scientists risk a geyser when they drill through to the lake?

Millions of tonnes of ice are pressing down on the lake. But the engineers have a plan to stop the water bursting back up to the surface when they breakthrough.

The first borehole will stop at 300m, where they will create a cavity. A second borehole will go through the cavity down to the lake. The cavity controls the pressure of the water.

What if they don't find life?

The scientists say that, too, would be significant. It would show there is a limit at which no life can exist on our planet.

But they are confident they will find microbes - wherever else there is water on Earth there is life.

And that would encourage scientists who believe there may be life in the seas below the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa.

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Drink-Driving: Crashed Car Shown To Clubbers

A dad whose daughter was killed in a drink-drive crash hopes that parking her wrecked car outside nightclubs will stop others getting behind the wheel while over the limit.

The man, who wants to remain anonymous, lost his eldest daughter in the crash near Fleet, Hampshire, last November.

The 23-year-old was four times over the drink-drive limit when her Vauxhall Corsa collided with a van on her way home from a night out. She died instantly.

Her father has now agreed to let police display her car in town centres in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight in the hope it will encourage others not to drink and drive.

"I wanted to tell my story, her story, because I wanted people to see what devastation they can cause by making that choice," he said.

"It's a split second decision which can have far-reaching consequences.

"To anyone else who would consider getting behind the wheel after having alcohol, I plead with you as a father, as the husband of a devastated mother, as the parent of two grieving children and on behalf of the many people who knew and loved my daughter, please don't.

"You can't imagine the pain you could leave behind, either for your family or for someone else's."

The Smashed campaign will target drivers aged between 20 and 24, who accounted for nearly a quarter of drive-drink arrests last Christmas.

Interviews with some of the emergency service personnel who attended the crash, including paramedic Kate McDougall and firefighter Craig Gregory, have been released on YouTube as part of the campaign.

Sergeant Jay Hewes, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: "We don't ever want to tell another parent, partner or child, that someone they love is gone, but chances are that before the year is out, we will have to.

"If one person, regardless of their age, sits up and takes notice, this young person will have left a legacy her parents can take some comfort from and those who knew her can be proud of."

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First Picture Of Kate Hospital Hoax Nurse

The first picture has been released of a nurse who apparently committed suicide after being duped by a prank call.

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead days after taking the hoax call from an Australian radio station and putting it through to a nurse on the Duchess of Cambridge's ward, who divulged private information about her treatment.

The body of the 46-year-old mother-of-two was discovered at an address near King Edward VII's hospital in London - where she had worked for four years - on Friday morning.

Kate, who is understood to be well under 12 weeks pregnant, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with severe morning sickness and released again on Thursday.

Kate was treated at the hospital for severe morning sickness

Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter said: "It is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession."

Her family said in a statement: "We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha."

Driving instructor Jeff Sellick, who taught Ms Saldanha last year, told Sky News she was a "delight to teach".

"I heard about it yesterday and it's just such a shame she was such a nice person, I can only imagine what happened would have played heavily on her mind," he told Sky News.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called it a "terrible tragedy"

"I just feel for the family at this point because she must have been deeply traumatised by what happened to her."

The storm over 2Day FM's prank is growing; major firms have pulled advertising while presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian have been taken off air.

Speaking at a news conference in Melbourne, Rhys Holleran, CEO of 2Day FM's parent company Southern Cross Austereo said the "shocked and devastated" DJs had been offered help dealing with the tragedy.

He said: "This is a tragic event that could not have been reasonably foreseen and we're deeply saddened by it.

"I spoke to both presenters early this morning and it's fair to say they're completely shattered.

"These people aren't machines, they're human beings. We're all affected by this."

Supermarket giant Coles and telecoms firm Telstra both announced they are withdrawing their business from the station at the earliest opportunity, while Australian media are reporting that media company Optus is also reviewing its position.

The station later announced that it would pull all advertising from its airwaves with immediate effect.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which regulates the country's media industry, said it had been inundated with complaints.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the incident as a "terrible tragedy".

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Belfast Flag Violence: Rioting In City Centre

Belfast has been hit by another night of rioting as hundreds of loyalists took to the streets to protest over flags.

Eight police officers were injured, with two needing hospital treatment, and five people were arrested following clashes across the city.

Police are carrying out a major security operation to prevent further violence later today.

With a major protest planned in the city's centre, traders are worried business could be seriously affected on what should be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The Christmas market in Belfast city has been temporarily closed.

Police vans cut off part of Belfast's Sandy Row area

Trouble flared at Shaftesbury Square - a popular party spot near Queen's University - after a man tried to drive a black van through a loyalist road block of about 200 people.

Eye witnesses said police officers were pelted with stones, bricks, bottles and other missiles. Two cars were also set on fire.

Two PSNI water cannons were deployed to the area but were not used against the rioters.

There were also reports of minor sporadic disorder in other parts of the city.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr said: "This behaviour is simply not acceptable. These people are only wrecking their own communities and putting innocent people's lives at risk.

"Twenty-one officers have been injured so far this week dealing with this disorder. That's 21 officers who have been pulled away from their roles of protecting the community."

A burned out car in Belfast city centre after rioters dispersed

"This mob violence and intimidation cannot be allowed to continue and I am urgently appealing to politicians and those with community influence in these areas to do what they can to put a stop to this behaviour now before someone is seriously injured or killed."

He added that the PSNI would provide a "very strong presence" over the weekend "to assist in creating a safe environment for everyone".

Loyalists opposed to a restriction on the number of days the Union flag can be flown over Belfast City Hall have held protests across Northern Ireland every night since the decision was taken, despite appeals from the First Minister for the pickets to be suspended.

Last night, demonstrations were also held in the greater Belfast area, Bangor, Co Down, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh and Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

Police said there were no reports of violence outside Belfast. On Friday night, police clashed with loyalists in Ian Paisley's home town of Ballymena, Co Antrim.

During her visit to Northern Ireland, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for the violence to stop.

Hillary Clinton has condemned the recent violence

Much of the anger has been directed towards the non sectarian Alliance Party, whose councillors in Belfast voted to limit the number of days the Union flag could be flown over the city hall from 365 to 17.

A death threat against the party's only MP, Naomi Long, marked a significant escalation in the seriousness of the sectarian tension.

On Wednesday, a constituency office in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim was destroyed in an arson attack. An attempt to burn down Bangor premises occupied by the Alliance Party's Employment Minister Stephen Farry was thwarted.

Belfast city councillor Laura McNamee was also advised to leave her home while two others living in Bangor had their house vandalised.

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Suffolk Light Aircraft Crash: One Person Dead

One person has died after a light aircraft crashed into a tree in a Suffolk village.

Suffolk Police said the aircraft came down in Aldham, near Hadleigh, where it collided with a tree and became submerged in a pond.

At around the same time as the crash, homes in Aldham and nearby Elmsett lost power because of a fault on the 11,000-volt overhead electricity distribution network.

A spokesman for UK Power Networks said engineers were working with emergency services at the site of the plane crash to restore power "as quickly and as safely as possible".

Local resident Alison Gillies told Sky News she could see smoke rising from land behind her house.

"There are a huge number of emergency services in the village and our power was off for around three or four hours," she said.

Ms Gillies said it was not unusual to see light aircraft flying over Aldham as they take off from or land at Elmsett Airfield to the northwest.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters from Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Needham Market, Bury St Edmunds and Halstead, Essex, were called to the village, around eight miles from Ipswich.

Police and ambulance crews and a water rescue team were also sent to the scene.

An area around the crash site was cordoned off and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch were alerted.

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